Clash Of The Titans: The Story Of A Demigod
by DarkDancer07
Summary: What should've happened in Clash Of The Titans. Men and gods are at war and with the help of his half-sister Athena, Perseus must set out on a dangerous quest to save the kingdom of Argos and his beloved Andromeda from his jealous stepmother Hera.
1. Prologue

**Hi there everyone!**

**This is how I think Clash Of The Titans should've been and of course, you're all welcome to express your own thoughts.**

**Enjoy! xx**

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Ancient Greece; a place where the history and mythology is legend itself. The many stories of the ancient gods that ruled the land many years ago have touched the ears of many as a siren's beautiful singing lured sailors to their demise. But like every story, this story has a beginning and this beginning is a war; the War of the Titans. The most important of the series of battles took place after the youngest titan; Cronus overthrew his own father, Uranus with the help of his mother, Gaia. But Cronus did not rule as his mother had hoped when he imprisoned his siblings in Tartarus - the part of the Underworld that is Hell. Her anger rose as Eos rises from her home at the edge of Oceanus to herald her brother, Helios, so Gaia plotted to turn her anger into revenge. Her vengeance was exacted when she created a prophecy that said Cronus would meet the same fate as his father. The fear of his own children swelled within him, so he felt that he had to stop the prophecy before it happened. When his six children were born from his wife and sister, Rhea, he swallowed them whole; all of them, except one.

Rhea concealed her child, Zeus in a place where he would be safe after she tricked her husband and brother into swallowing a rock wrapped in a blanket. His hideout in a cave of Crete was where Zeus was raised to adulthood, waiting for when he would strike; waiting for when he would be reunited with his brothers and sisters and for when he would overthrow his father. Hope finally came when Métis, a future mistress of Zeus, gave Cronus a mixture of mustard and wine that was secretly the key to releasing his swallowed children. The mixture caused him to vomit them up and Zeus was finally reunited with his brothers and sisters, Poseidon, Hades, Demeter, Hestia and Hera. With Zeus as the leader, the six siblings held rebellion against their father and were victorious; Cronus was overthrown, just as his mother's prophecy had foretold, and when Zeus released his imprisoned uncles from Tartarus, Cronus and his Titan army took their place in the same imprisonment. The Gigantes, the Hecatonchires and the Cyclopes were free and Zeus was rewarded by the one-eyed creatures with thunder and the thunderbolt that had been hidden by Gaia.

After the battle, the new reign of the gods began with Zeus as their King, but he shared the world with his brothers and each of them took one part to rule; Zeus took the Heavens and skies, Poseidon took the seas and oceans and Hades took the Underworld. But like many Kings, Zeus decided to take a Queen to rule beside him and his choice of Queen was his own sister, Hera, the goddess of marriage. Hera, though greatly worshipped, was one of a jealous and vengeful nature; a nature that would always come to light by her ever-unfaithful husband. Despite bearing Zeus two sons, Ares, the god of war and Hephaestus, the god of fire, and one daughter, Hebe, the goddess of youth, Zeus exacted his infidelity in the form of many love affairs with goddesses, mortals and immortals alike. And from these affairs, many children were born, such as Apollo, the god of the sun and his twin sister, Artemis, the goddess of the moon and hunting, Dionysus, the god of wine, Hercules, the strongest man to ever live and Helen, the most beautiful woman in the world.

But this story is the story of a son of Zeus and it begins on the day of a storm.

The skies were dark with the clouds of such greyness; it seemed Apollo was refusing to ride his chariot through the skies that day and Helios was too angry to shine because Eos had not heralded him. The thunder and lightning roared through the skies as if Zeus himself was heavily disturbed and was sending down his furious voice in the form of his best weapons. The sea was in an angry state of mind; Poseidon was clearly not ordering it to calm, for the waves crashed and crashed into one another like Ares fighting in a fierce battle and shedding as much blood as he could. But this vicious storm had not stopped a fisherman from living out his daily routine. Dictys, the kind fisherman was out on his boat in the sea beside his home, suspecting as much as anyone if this storm was the doing of the gods. But as he turned, something came up from under the sea's surface, something that a fisherman barely finds in his catch of the day; a crate, a black wooden crate with markings of gold, but what was inside? Dictys captured the mysterious box that maybe contained treasure inside; enough treasure to help him and his wife. But when he opened the crate, there was no gold but maybe a treasure. A beautiful young woman, barely alive and dressed in riches, was what was the crate carried, but she was not alone. In her arms was a child, her child, a child that had barely begun to live, but still lived. Dictys looked down on the woman and child he had just rescued from death; his heart was filled with such pity when she opened her eyes and he saw the fear in them. She saw him and knew he was her only hope.

"Help me…" she whispered under her breath.

The child was crying; maybe he was hungry and he needed his mother, but he also needed Dictys.

"Of course I will help!" he finally said; these were the words she had needed to hear. He took the child in his arms and holding him in one, he helped the unnamed woman out of the crate, but she could barely walk. So he sat her down on the deck, handed her back her infant son and wrapped her in a blanket to keep her warm. It was time to head back to the shore with his new friends; his wife Marmara was waiting there for him.

But in the distance, a figure was watching; a woman, wearing a white hooded robe; her brown hair covered and she was not cold by the storm. It was as if she was invincible to the wind and the thunder. She looked on as Dictys reached the shore and was greeted by his wife; he then helped the young mother and baby to the sand. Indeed, Marmara showed great pity when Dictys told her what had happened; she took the baby while Dictys carried the mother inside their home. The mysterious woman smiled; she was happy that the baby was safe, but why? But then she said something, a name that was the name of the child.

"Perseus."


	2. Chapter 1: The Son Of Zeus

The unnamed beauty lay peacefully on the small bed; her eyes closed tight, but she stirred when she heard a cry; the cry of her son. He was calling for her, like any child calls for its mother. Her eyes fluttered open and she looked to where the cry was coming from; she saw Dictys and Marmara; Marmara was holding little Perseus in her arms. Danaë felt her motherly love reach for him.

"Perseus!" she gasped.

"He is safe," Dictys said gently as he held her shivering hand. "What is your name my lady?"

"My name is Danaë," she whispered under her breath. "I am the Princess of the Kingdom of Argos."

The eyes of Dictys and Marmara widened with shock; the young woman was a Princess and the child a Prince. But why was she there? Had she been sent by the gods to them?

"But what beasts have done this you?" Dictys asked, "Who is responsible for you being here?"

"The answer you seek is a story that brings me great sorrow," she explained as tears rolled down her face.

Indeed, it was a sorrowful story, but it was one that had to be told.

Danaë was a woman who seemed to have been blessed with such beauty by Aphrodite herself and she was the daughter of, Acrisius, King of Argos. But Acrisius was a cold, cruel and proud tyrant and his daughter's growth into beauty only triggered his jealousy. The King was so jealous that he kept her guarded from the eyes of men, locking her behind iron doors in a bronze tower. But there was one admirer for his daughter that he could not guard her from because this admirer was a god – Zeus, the ruler of the gods himself. Many love affairs he had already had, but he chose to embark on another for he held deep affections for the Princess. So one night, Zeus transformed himself into a shower of gold and visited Danaë; from their union, she became pregnant. Zeus kept watch over the beautiful Princess and as time passed, she discovered her pregnancy and knew that she was carrying the child of Zeus.

But when the plot was unfolded, Acrisius' anger and ambition for revenge knew no bounds; he swore he would exact his revenge on Zeus, who he stated was his enemy. Eventually, the time came for Danaë to give birth and she gave birth to a son, whom she named Perseus. While Zeus acknowledged his new-born son, Acrisius would not accept his grandson; he had become too blinded by his anger and thirst for revenge so a short while after Perseus' birth, Acrisius brought him and Danaë to the sea, encased them both in a wooden crate and threw them into the raging waters. This terrible deed rose Zeus' anger that he punished Acrisius; he struck him with lightning and transformed him into a monster. As King of the gods and father of Perseus, Zeus demanded that Perseus and his mother be saved and this order was obeyed for it was Poseidon that led the crate to Dictys and he was successful in keeping the mother and child alive.

The eyes of Dictys and Marmara were wide with shock; the woman brought to them by a storm was a Princess and her child was the son of Zeus. Perseus continued to cry and Danaë looked over at him in Marmara's arms. For the first time in so long, a smile lit up her sweet face.

"Perseus," she said reaching her arm to him.

Marmara was too afraid to not let the Princess see her own son, so she walked over to her side and knelt beside her; Danaë stroked her little son's soft head. His crying ceased; Dictys looked on at the sight and knew he couldn't cast them away. Marmara's eyes were telling the same.

"You must stay here with us," Dictys finally said as he held Danaë's hand, "We will take good care of you both, let you join our family and we will see that you'll want for nothing."

"Thank you friend," Danaë exclaimed, "for I cannot return home and my son deserves a loving family; I accept your offer."

Two new editions to Dictys and Marmara's family; a family of two would be happy to welcome a third and fourth member and they had found their new family members in the form of a Princess and a demigod Prince.

The storm outside finally died down; the sea was calm, the thunder, lightning and winds were no more and the dark clouds faded away to reveal a beautiful sunset; Helios was clearly happy if he was making such a grand entrance for his sister Selene. But the source of the sudden death of the storm was Mount Olympus; the home of the gods, their palace was right at the very top beyond the reach of man. It was bigger than any temple to the gods on earth and was made of stone that no man had ever seen; the throne room of Zeus, where they had a map of the earth below, was where they gathered and on that day, Poseidon came to offer his brother some news of what had happened on earth. Upon seeing Poseidon's arrival, Zeus refused to stay on his throne and rose to his feet; he stepped down onto the map as his brother approached him.

"Danaë and your son Perseus have been brought to the home of a fisherman named Dictys," Poseidon explained, "they are both safe."

Zeus was silent for a moment as he realised that his recent mistress and new-born son were alive and well.

"Good," he finally said, "then may Danaë and my son remain there safe and happy. Thank you Poseidon; you did well to save them."

"For you my brother, anything," Poseidon said he struck his breast.

The two brothers were joined by the third; Hades walked from his throne to join them in their joy, none of them aware of the envy growing in Hera. Her newest rival and her new stepson were still alive and it made her swell up inside as she felt all the anger in her, but she was good to hide it. She knew she could not show it in front of the other gods, especially when her husband and her brothers were pleased that Perseus was safe.

Later when Hera was alone, she chose to show her anger as she looked down upon the young Princess and her infant son as they slept. How she wanted to kill him, but she knew she couldn't; he was the son of Zeus and no god could kill any of Zeus' children for the consequences of such a crime were unbearable to imagine. But she would find a way to eliminate him; she swore she would.

"I will have my vengeance, I will! I will have my vengeance on Zeus and his new bastard son! I will have my revenge!"


	3. Chapter 2: A Goddess's Revenge

Time passed as the days turned into months and the months turned into years as Helios and Selene carried out their circle bringing new days and new nights. The son of Zeus was now a boy; Perseus was growing and his mother would look at him with love, knowing he would perform great deeds once his manhood had arrived. But Perseus was not aware of his full identity; Danaë was too fearful to tell him the truth, for how could he ever understand that he was the son of a god? It was only out of her motherly love for him that she had not told him; all he knew was that he was the heir to the kingdom of Argos, a fact that he was slowly growing to accept. Perseus was stronger than many boys his age and Danaë was a proud mother and she was ever so grateful that she had not lost everything after all; she even offered her prayers to Zeus, for it was him that she was thankful to for her and Perseus' safety. Dictys had indeed been kind, for he and Marmara had welcomed the lost mother and son into their family with open arms and had seen that they were wanted for nothing. Though Dictys was a man who did not offer anything to the gods, he had accepted that Perseus was a demigod but was keeping his promise to Danaë to not tell him. It was her place as his mother to tell him after all and Dictys was afraid to go against the wishes of a kind, innocent woman. Life had gone on and in that year, Dictys and Marmara were expecting their own child at last; something that brought joy to all four of the small family and Zeus even smiled from Olympus at the sight of his son and his former lover smiling and living in peace; he showed his delight by letting Apollo ride through the skies on his chariot every day. But one who did not feel joy was the Queen of the gods herself; Hera was so full of bitterness and thirst for revenge and the look that her green eyes bore said everything, but this look was kept well hidden from the others, especially her husband.

Down on the earth on the shores that had become Perseus and Danaë's home, Helios shone upon the happy family of four. A normal day it appeared to be; Dictys watching Perseus showing his riding skills on the beach, he handled his horse with excellence while Danaë and Marmara were searching among the nearby trees collecting firewood for when the nightfall. The women did not expect to be separated, but separated they were as they went in different directions, neither of them getting lost for they knew the area well. But neither of them suspected anything to go afoot. Danaë collected what wood she could find, admiring any beautiful flora she saw, but then one form of flora suddenly caught her eye. A flower as beautiful as Aphrodite herself was there in Gaia's soils, so beautiful and so captivating it was; there was no other flower like it. Danaë looked and looked at its beautiful features and could not resist the thought of holding it in her hand; she felt as though she was being seduced by a man who was deeply in love with her as she ventured closer to the flower that she would pick from the soil and bring to her face so she could smell its beautiful scent. Her hand had reached out and picked the flower; her nose absorbed its smell and her eyes looked on at its beauty. She suspected nothing, but she was to be proven wrong. The flower with the beauty of Aphrodite suddenly became a flower no more; it shape-shifted and now what Danaë was holding in her hand was a serpent, a serpent that carried in its fang a poison as deadly as the ring of fire. It made its hiss as it looked into Danaë's terrified eyes; so terrified she was that she dropped it as she gave out a hushed scream. She wanted to run but before she could, she felt two sharp fangs piercing through the skin of her ankle; she felt the pain that she screamed and her scream this time was loud enough to be heard. Perseus recognised the screaming voice as his mother instantly and knew he had to run to her. Danaë fell to the ground; the deadly poison had been injected and the serpent had quickly slithered away, but was it really a serpent at all? Once out of sight, it shape-shifted again like it did when it was a flower, only this time it didn't become a flower. Standing in the serpent's place in a black robe, it was her; she had just exacted the first part of her revenge, her smile and her eyes showed her feeling of victory. Without being noticed by anyone, Hera vanished into thin air, but she would be back for she had not finished yet.

"Mother?" Perseus called out as he ran to where he heard the voice, "Mother?"

He came to the very spot at last and he saw here there; his dear mother lying on the ground, dying.

"Mother," he ran towards her and held her in his arms as Dictys and Marmara looked on; he saw the dying look in her eyes, "What happened?"

"She has been bitten," Dictys gasped when he saw the marks on her ankle.

Perseus realised there was nothing anyone could do; the thought of losing his mother already began to pierce his heart.

"Mother," he said softly as the tears began to fall from his eyes; Danaë could see him and knew what to do in her last moments of life.

"My son..." she whispered, "You have... made me proud... as a mother. I am dying... and… I only have one last wish... that you... will take your rightful place... as ruler of Argos... and restore my homeland... to what it once was. My ring… you must take my ring!"

The ring on her finger was removed by Perseus; Danaë squeezed his hand as he held it.

"You must… keep it… it is the proof you will need… when you return to Argos. Fulfil my wish Perseus... and know... that I love you, my son."

These were her last words for her eyes closed; her grasp on Perseus' hand weakened, her breathing ceased and she lay still in her only son's arms.

"No! Mother!"

Perseus could only cry his river of tears for his mother. Dictys and Marmara felt their own grief for their friend who had grown to love; Dictys gave the only sort of comfort he could when he knelt at Perseus' side while Marmara shed her own tears.

It was a sad night for Perseus as he was being forced to say goodbye to his mother; Dictys and Marmara prepared her funeral pyre and yet none of them knew that Danaë had been murdered by a vengeful goddess. Was that fact ever going to be discovered? Once enough wood had been piled together, Dictys lifted Danaë's beautiful, but lifeless, body and gently placed it on top of the pyre as Perseus helplessly watched. Dictys took a flaming torch and set the wood on fire; he let go of the torch and stood by Perseus's side as the flames engulfed Danaë and the tears poured down her son's face. A goodbye to a dear mother is never an easy goodbye, no matter how strong the son is.

The night went once the funeral pyre was over, but Perseus let the time flow by slowly as he sat by the remains of the burned logs that his mother was laid upon. But he was not to be alone, for Dictys joined him; he wanted Perseus to know that he had not lost everything and that he was still part of something he could call a family. He would even have a new sibling soon once Marmara had given birth to her child.

"Are you alright, Perseus?" He asked gently.

"What will I do now?" Perseus asked him, "Now that my mother is dead, I am no one's son."

Dictys heard what he said, but he would not let him think or believe that for he loved him like a son.

"Now you know your mother would never want you to feel alone, he said, "we can never replace your mother, we know, but you have us; I'm certain that we are the family that Danaë wanted you to have if something like this would happen. The love that Marmara and I have for you, it's that love that the gods and Kings fight over. I've never understood the gods and I don't even question that you and your mother were saved for a reason. And someday, that reason is going to take you far away from here."

"Just like mother wanted," Perseus said.

"Yes; one day you will leave here and fulfil her wish, but tonight, eh?" Dictys said as he placed his hand on the boy's shoulder.

Perseus could only acknowledge and accept Dictys' love for him, for it was all he had left and he could not turn it away. Or at least he thought it was all he had left, for Dictys was still keeping a secret from him and it could not be told if the day would come when Perseus would learn who he really was.


	4. Chapter 3: War Is Declared

More years passed by and Perseus grew from a boy into a man; a handsome young man with a good heart. Indeed Dictys and Marmara had raised him well after the tragic death of his dear mother, only Dictys had grown to love him as his own son too much for Perseus still did not know his true identity. Dictys had chosen to keep it from him, for he believed he was protecting him from becoming one of them, but he was also not yet prepared to let him leave home. Although, he did respect Perseus' ambition to he would fulfil his mother's last wish. A normal day for them was occurring; the foster father and son out on their boat with the mother and the young daughter that had been born years before. Helios shone in the clear sky; Poseidon was keeping the sea calm and Dictys ordered the family to make way for a catch they had made. But once the net was out of the water, nothing but disappointment and anger were the feelings he felt.

"Another day; nothing!" he shouted in his frustration, "Caught on the reef! To whom do we direct our gratitude for this glorious bounty?"

"Dictys, please," Marmara said.

"Ah, Poseidon? Zeus? Who do I thank Marmara?"

"Thank the men that provoke them," she replied.

"They crush my island, they put a plague on yours; they take from us what they want! We're their slaves!"

"The gods gave us life; for that, we should be thankful."

Marmara did not share the same views on the gods as her husband did; she clearly respected them more than he did and her answer to what he had just said provoked him into speaking his mind at that moment.

"I'm tired of being thankful for scraps!" he said with no fear, "I'm a fisherman; Perseus is a Prince who was raised as a fisherman, they've even taken that away from us; what we are! Still they want us to love theme anyway. One day, somebody's going to have to make a stand; one day, somebody's going to have to say enough."

Perseus listened to his foster father's words; words of wisdom they were and he wondered if maybe one day, he could be the one to make a stand and say enough. But if so, how would he ever be able to make such a stand?

The day eventually turned into night as Helios left the skies and made way for Selene, but Selene was not to seen that night. The clear skies filled with dark clouds so Selene and the stars were not visible; a storm had arrived and on the boat, Perseus could not sleep as the thunder kept him awake. He looked up at the storm of thunder and lightning as his thoughts raced through his mind like a warrior on his horse and chariot. Dictys' words echoed to him; how could Perseus make a stand? He may have been a Prince, but he was raised as a humble fisherman and what good could that possibly have to him? As the storm rumbled through the skies, Perseus felt his chest sting but he did not know why; was it a sign? If so, what was it saying? Whatever the answer was, he was not to be alone for long; Dictys had joined him and the storm made him begin to reminiscent the day that changed the lives of him and his wife.

"Just like the day you and your mother came to us," he said, "the storm brought you right to me. I know you have questions son; I wish I had the answers."

Perseus did not know that Dictys was lying; he did have the answers to Perseus' many unanswered questions, but he was refusing to tell him. But hearing what Dictys said, Perseus realised that maybe he did not want to have those questions answered yet.

"I have everything I need; right here, but one day I will have to find a way to make things the way mother wished for them to be," he said.

Dictys knew he was right, but was happy knowing that Perseus was happy where he was. He showed his gratitude in a fatherly way before returning to his sleeping wife and daughter.

"Goodnight son," he said.

Perseus watched as Dictys lay next to Marmara and their daughter and kissed his wife goodnight, before settling down to sleep. Perseus smiled as he looked upon them, but the unanswered questions suddenly bothered him again.

By the time the night was gone and Eos brought the next day with her, the storm had passed; Helios was high in the sky again and Dictys' boat had sailed to a place of a great colossus that did amaze him despite his inability to understand the gods.

"The reed; fetch the reed!" Marmara ordered her daughter with excitement.

"The statue of Zeus; magnificent," Dictys called out.

Magnificent indeed was the colossal statue of the King of gods on the cliff above the sea; it was to be respected and worshipped, but respected and worshipped was not how it was being treated there and then. Dictys recognised it immediately.

"Something isn't right;" he said. "The soldiers, what are they doing?"

At the feet of the statue was a group of soldiers and their actions would carry severe consequences; they were chiselling at the feet, hard enough that they broke through the rock and the magnificent statue fell from its rightful place into the waters of the sea below. The part of the sea that it hit was only metres away from the boat, but the family of four were lucky or at least for that moment. The soldiers cheered their victory while Perseus and his family looked on in horror at the terrible offence that had been committed.

"In the name of the King and Queen!" a soldier called out.

"Who are they?" Perseus asked.

"Soldiers from Argos," Dictys answered.

"Argos?" Perseus repeated horrified.

Argos was his mother's kingdom and the kingdom she had wished for him to rule one day; how could its soldiers commit such an offence against of the gods in their king and queen's name?

"What have they done?" Marmara gasped.

"They have declared war," said Dictys, "War against the gods."

Indeed war was what they had declared and they would receive their punishment at that moment; Helios was suddenly gone from the skies and the dark storm clouds from the previous night returned. It was a sign; the gods were angry and were seeking vengeance on those who had offended them. Something was in the water; Perseus could see there was something, but he could not see what it was. It moved towards the boat and then stopped for a few moments; was anything going to emerge? Yes it was. Five flying, black beasts suddenly emerged from the waters; their squealing cries could be heard through their sharp teeth. They were harpies and they were there for one purpose; to take out the recent enemies of the gods. They flew down to the group of soldier, each soldier massacred one after the other; it was their punishment for their terrible deed. Perseus could sense it was not safe to be there any longer.

"Let's turn the boat around!"

"No!" Dictys said, "Do nothing!"

But was this a wise choice? Each of the soldiers met his doom, but it was not over yet; the harpies joined together as one and one they became as they spun around faster and faster, until they could not be seen and black smoke was all that was visible. But green embers could be seen as the smoke suddenly turned grey and then, the spinning stopped and the smoke parted two ways to reveal a goddess; it was Hera. Wearing her grey dress, having her long black hair and her green eyes, she was pleased with the killings she had just made, but then she heard a scream from a child; the daughter on the boat. As she turned, she looked and she saw Perseus. Recognising him immediately, it was time, she thought, to eliminate him. Giving out a wicked cackle, she flew up into the sky through the clouds; maybe she was not coming back. But suddenly, the sea became mad, thunder and lightning took over the skies; the storm was returning.

"Quickly," Dictys suddenly said, "Let's turn the boat around!"

Perseus and Dictys tried to protect themselves and their family, but it was no use; lightning struck the boat and fire rose. Before anything could be done, a tidal wave emerged from the waters and engulfed the boat and the family. Once the boat was nowhere to be seen, the storm began to calm; was this Hera's doing? The family were not to know; the family that was now to die. Dictys, Marmara and their daughter were trapped in the boat and there was no escape; the boat sank to the bottom of the sea where the family would meet their demise. But what of Perseus? He was not trapped, but he was drowning. Unconscious, he was falling through the waters to join his family; it seemed there was no hope. But then, a hand grabbed him and then another; a pair of arms were wrapped around him, two hands were holding him and he was pulled to the surface. He was laid on nearby land and he was not awake, but he was alive; his rescuer wanted him to be and that was why she saved him. She knelt down beside him and placed her hand on his heart; it was her, the mysterious woman who had watched him and his mother go to Dictys all those years ago and yet, she had not aged. But she wouldn't age; aging was not part of how she lived for she too was a goddess.

"You will live Perseus; you must live," she said to him; she knew he could hear her, "You are the only hope to men and gods alike, for you can change everything that is happening. The people you came to call your family, they are no more and I am filled with compassion for you. But you must understand Perseus, there is nothing here for you now; it is time for your destiny to change. Your mother's last wish was that you would restore her homeland and your birthplace, which is why you must be taken there, but I will not be here with you when you awaken. Your destiny now lies in the Kingdom of Argos."

These words were spoken and were not to be taken back. A goddess of clear wisdom, she stood up on her feet and turned into a mist of gold; she flew through the sky that was now beginning to clear. Perseus was now alone, but not for long.


	5. Chapter 4: The Council Of The Gods

On the great Mount Olympus, the home of the gods, the Twelve Olympians were gathered in their circle; Hermes the messenger of the gods, Apollo the god of sun, Hephaestus the smith god, Hestia the goddess of fire, Poseidon the god of the seas, Hades the god of the Underworld, Athena the goddess of wisdom, Ares the god of war, Aphrodite the goddess of love, Artemis the goddess of the moon and hunting, Demeter the goddess of the earth and of course the rulers, Zeus the king of the gods and Hera the goddess of marriage. Each of them sat on their thrones in their shining armour and dresses expressing their views of the war between them and the mortals; they were all looking for a solution, but they all had a different idea from each other.

Hermes entered the room with a message to deliver.

"Our temples are burning; the colossus is falling," he reported.

"I can feel it; we grow weaker by the minute," said Apollo.

"Speak for yourself," Hephaestus cast at him.

"Apollo is right," Hestia defended her nephew, "We all feel it this... weight, the weight of time."

"We have brought this on ourselves," Hera proudly stated.

"We provide for them; we sustain them!" Poseidon exclaimed.

"And enjoy their wives," Hera cast back at him.

Poseidon and Hephaestus heard what she said and carried the same look on their faces; Poseidon then grew angry.

"How is it that we have become so vulnerable to these nothings?" He exclaimed.

"They have learned how to hurt us," said Athena.

"We should descend on Argos tonight; take our vengeance now!" Poseidon declared.

"Paint the walls with their blood!" Ares declared after striking the ground with his sword.

"You'll just drive them further away!" Apollo stated, "You'll chase any love they have from their hearts."

"Their love feeds us," said Aphrodite.

"They're tearing down our deities. Will you wait until we have been reduced to dust?" Poseidon cast on them; he then turned to Apollo, "Apollo, is that sword of yours just a toy?"

Apollo stood up in rage, his weapon in hand but it was Hades who interrupted a fight occurring.

"Even you are too weak to do what you suggest Poseidon," he told his brother.

"He would not be alone," said Hephaestus.

"The old ways aren't working," Artemis stated.

"We could reach out to them," suggested Demeter.

"An accommodation could be made; a truce," said Apollo.

But the room became silent when Zeus stomped his clenched fist against his throne and everyone reacted by not saying another word.

"No!" he shouted over them, "I created them and they reward my love with... defiance. There will be no truce!"

At seeing her husband in this state of mind, Hera was suddenly smiling a small smirk on her face; she was then rising from her throne onto her feet.

"Finally, some rage from you," she said, "All these years, I have watched your wrath tempered with love; your glory dimmed by their pride. You created them for one reason; so their prayers would fuel our immortality but you, you love them too well. You've coddled them; while you've begged for their love, they've grown strong and now, I am forced to rise because we are all threatened. Husband, I took revenge for you and as I did, I saw terror in the mortals and I saw the answer."

Zeus was listening to her and thought he saw a look in her eyes that said she wanted something.

"What do you want Hera?"

There was only one answer she wanted to give him when he asked that question.

"Let me loose upon them; they will pray again and you will bath in their awe and fear and we will grow strong again."

Apollo was not pleased with his stepmother's proposal, so he felt he had to say something in the matter.

"She is seeking everlasting vengeance; that is not the answer."

"You do not tell me if I am wrong," Hera cast back at her stepson before she turned back to Zeus, "You say it is love that feeds us; you depend on their love and I have learned to live on their fear, their pain."

"Zeus," Poseidon's voice suddenly said, "Our Queen speaks the truth. Let her."

Zeus looked at his wife for a few moments and then, he gently touched her face; she knew what this message was.

"Go," he told her, "Do what you will."

"Father, we need the mortals!" Apollo stated.

"No Apollo, Hera is right; their insolence has a price," Zeus declared, "my children, they need to be reminded of the order of things. Set an example my wife; turn them on each other and back into our arms."

He gave her his hand to kiss and kissed it she did.

"Go," Zeus dismissed her.

Hera walked to the centre of the room feeling pride and a beginning of triumph, but then she stopped and turned to face her husband again.

"They will pray again; their prayers will come," she proudly declared.

With that said, she turned and walked out of the room and eventually out of the palace; Zeus took his place on his throne again, suspecting nothing extraordinary about his wife's intentions.


	6. Chapter 5: A Prince Returns Home

The unnamed goddess who pulled him from the sea was right to think that where she had left him, he would be found. Perseus found himself awaking, but in an unfamiliar place; the first thing he saw when his eyes opened was a flag, his ears could hear the sea and wind and his skin could feel the wood of a boat. He was on a boat, but not his; he was on a boat of Argos. Other soldiers from the great kingdom had found him where he had been left and had chosen to bring him back with them, but it was when they saw the ring left on his finger that they had made that decision. The boat made its way through the great stone walls of the city and towards the dock where it would port; the kingdom was so magnificent, it looked as if it had been built by the gods themselves. Once Perseus was strong enough to stand on his feet again, he looked at where he had been taken to; the thought that this was his birthplace and his mother's kingdom stunned him as a siren's beautiful singing. Never had he seen a place so magnificent. Suddenly, he realised he was surrounded by soldiers, not his family but the memory of the storm came to him and the words spoken by the voice that sounded familiar were echoing through his mind. That was when he realised his family was dead; they had drowned in the storm, but yet he had not because he was the only one who could change everything, which is why he had to live. But what exactly could he change? And how could he change it? He was just a man, but he was unaware that he was not; he knew he was a Prince, but he did not know that he was more than just that. The boat soon docked and the soldiers lead him off; his feet touched the ground of Argos for the first time. The soldiers began to stop moving, so Perseus stepped away and looked at what he could see; the captain of the soldiers reported to a man who was clearly his commanding officer.

"Are we the last boat to come in?" The captain asked.

"No captain; you're the only one," the general replied; his eyes then fell on Perseus, "Is he one of ours?"

"No, we found him on Pathos amongst our dead; he was the only survivor," the captain told him, "We found this on him."

He handed the ring to the general; the general's eyes widened for he knew what that ring symbolised. He looked at Perseus again.

"Take him to the palace," he gasped as he handed the ring back to the captain, "let them figure out what do with him."

Perseus' exploring with his eyes was interrupted by a soldier who gave him orders to move along with them; he did not hesitate, instead he followed. They marched through the city; Perseus had never seen so many people in his life. The path was cleared for them by the many people, except for one man who was desperately trying to persuade the people to worship the gods. He caught Perseus' attention, but was pushed aside by the soldiers; Perseus was quick to move his attention elsewhere. A sad sight came to him; there were many people and young children lying in groups near the palace gates; they were clearly starving and ill and he felt pity for them. Surely if his mother was still alive and still ruling Argos, she would not have let anyone to suffer in any sort of way. The soldiers marched and that was when Perseus saw the most magnificent building he had ever seen; the palace, the palace where his mother had once lived, the palace where he had been born. It looked like it was made of gold to him and he suddenly realised he would be inside; he suddenly realised he had returned to his rightful home.

He was inside the palace sooner that he had thought; the inside was more remarkable than the outside. With walls of marble and gold, indeed Perseus had never seen anything like it and the thought of how his life would have been if he and his mother had never been forced to leave Argos came to him. The soldiers lead him through the incredible interior and he followed, for he did not know the way, but the journey would not be much longer. It finally ended when they brought him into the greatest room in the palace; the great throne room, the room that held the three golden thrones for the kingdom's rulers. The room was large with a rectangular pool with lit candles in the centre, a dozen statues were keeping the floor separated from the ceiling and the walls were still made of marble and gold; some bore great paintings. Despite his royal title and being in the place of his birth, Perseus did not feel like a prince; maybe he would in time. The soldiers stopped, so he did also; he stood there waiting for what would come. One of the men approached a man of old age wearing a golden crown on his head; he was sitting on the throne that was first in line. A woman wearing a golden crown on her head was seated on one of the thrones behind him; the crowns were what gave away their identity - King Cepheus and his wife, Queen Cassiopeia. But there was a third throne that was empty, so who sat there? Perseus watched as the King was given a message.

"Is this all there are?" The King asked.

"We lost many men your majesty," the messenger reported, "but we have victory."

Cepheus felt victory run through his veins, until Perseus caught his eye.

"Who is the stranger?" he asked.

"He was found on Pathos amongst our dead," the messenger told the King; he then presented the ring, "he was wearing this."

The King's eyes widened for he recognised the marks on the ring; he had one that was identical. He looked at Perseus and wondered to himself if this stranger could possibly be a Prince; he was not dressed like one and if he was a Prince, who was he and where had he been?

"Bring him to us," the astonished King demanded and his order was obeyed.

Perseus was forced to walk towards the King and his Queen, who had just risen to her feet; she had not yet seen the ring, so she wanted to know what was happening. The short journey to the foot of the throne was quickly over and Perseus was standing face to face with King Cepheus; Cepheus  
just looked at him before asking his questions.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"My name is Perseus, your majesty," Perseus replied.

"And how did you come to have this in your possession?" Cepheus asked holding up the ring; Cassiopeia finally saw it and wanted to know what her King wanted to know.

"It belonged to my mother," Perseus said; his answer bringing more shock.

"Your mother?" Cassiopeia spat as she came forward, "And who was your mother?"

Perseus felt no hesitation to answer that question.

"Danaë, the Princess of Argos; daughter of King Acrisius."

Every human present in that room felt numb with more shock; their faces told everything we were feeling.

"Danaë?" Cepheus gasped.

"But Danaë... surely she is dead!" Cassiopeia stated.

"My mother died when I was a boy," Perseus explained; it seemed to calm her by a little.

"Danaë had a son? If this is true then, you are an heir to Argos!" Cepheus declared, but Perseus said nothing.

"Is that why you came here?" instead, Cassiopeia was the one to speak next, "To steal the throne from us?"

Perseus prepared himself to answer the question, unaware that an unknown presence was studying him. A pair of beautiful eyes was watching him from within a hiding place and those eyes belonged to one of such beauty and delicacy on the inside as well as the outside. Her eyes explored Perseus as her heart was beating in her chest as fast as Hephaestus' beating hammer as he forged new weapons; maybe Eros had struck her with one of his arrows or maybe it was her own heart telling her something about this handsome stranger she had just seen for the first time. While he remained unaware of the beauty whose eye he had caught, Perseus finally answered the Queen's question.

"My mother's last wish was that I would restore her homeland," he explained, "but I didn't come here; I was brought here by your men. I saw your men being killed by a goddess while my family and I were out on our boat and the last thing I remember is we've been caught up in a storm; I somehow survived, but they didn't and then I heard a voice telling me that my destiny lies here."

"Your destiny?" the Queen spat at him, "And what is your destiny?"

But Perseus did not answer, for he suddenly forgot that the King and Queen were there when the unknown beauty emerged from her hiding place and let him see her. Indeed a delicate beauty she was; her face, her skin, her piercing eyes, her beautiful long hair of brown; she floated gently as she walked down the steps towards him. Never had he seen anything so beautiful and so charming to his heart; had he too been struck by Eros' arrow? Or was it his own heart telling him he had fallen under a spell? It seemed Cassiopeia's question had been answered; maybe Perseus' destiny was to be the young woman who seemed to have been given her beauty by Aphrodite; the young woman his eyes would not leave. A sorceress had just cast a spell upon him; he looked at her features and it was as if he could hear her calling out to him, begging him to touch her. The trance he was under at that moment was finished when he heard the Queen give the young woman a name.

"Ah, this is our daughter Andromeda, Princess and heiress to Argos," Cassiopeia proudly announced.

Perseus knew her name at last and suddenly, he felt a feeling of boldness run through him as he took her hand in his; never had he felt such delicate skin.

"Your highness," he said as he brought her hand closer to his face and pressed a kiss against it; she was more charmed by his manner towards her, so charmed that she had to know more about him.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"Perseus; I too am an heir to Argos," he explained, "I am the son of Danaë."

His answer to her question pleased her greatly; she was a Princess and he was a Prince. Surely this meant that she could choose him as her husband.

"This handsome stranger is a Prince?" she gasped with a smile, "Then you must stay here; we must offer him sanctuary father. Let me take care of him."

Cepheus, Cassiopeia and everyone else in the room heard Andromeda's request; their faces expressed their uncertainty of providing this long-lost Prince with shelter at the place of his birth.

"He shall have to prove he is worthy first," Cepheus replied, much to his daughter's dismay; her elegant face said it all.

"But father..." she said, but she was not permitted to finish.

"Any stranger who is offered sanctuary in my palace must prove he is worthy of it," he spat back at his daughter; he was not going to go back on what he had said.

Perseus was put to the test that same day, though what he had to do to prove himself worthy was not something he was in favour of doing. Cepheus and Cassiopeia forced him into a fighting arena, where he would fight against skilled warriors; if he won, he had gained his sanctuary but if he lost, he would have to sleep with the hungry and ill peasants outside the palace walls. The fighting commenced, though Perseus had never used a sword; did this mean he would lose? The crowd that was the audience watched him with excitement, wondering what would happen, but Andromeda was filled with anxiety; she did not want him to spend the night out in the cold when he could have sanctuary with her. But by some miracle, Perseus took everyone by surprise; his fighting skills, though he mostly fought without a weapon, were incredible in the eyes of the watching crowd. With all his strength, he fought and fought and when his opponents could fight no more, they surrendered; Perseus had won and the crowd cheered his name. Andromeda was washed over with relief, while her parents were lost for words; her father eventually found some words to speak and they were to his daughter.

"He's all yours my daughter," he said before he left his throne.

Andromeda smiled as Perseus stood victorious in the centre acknowledging the crowd; whatever his destiny was, it was in Argos.

Once he had been taken from the arena, he was ordered to be brought to Andromeda's chambers where he was washed and cleaned up. Once wrapped in a cloth to dry him, Andromeda arrived and ordered every servant to leave; she wanted to be alone with Perseus.

"I hope everything is in good order for you," she said.

"Yes, it is fine thanks," he replied.

She walked closer to him; she was carrying something.

"Here are some clean clothes for you," she said as she handed him what she was carrying.

"Thank you," he said as he took them, "but this is not something a Princess should be doing."

"This is something a woman would do; I am just one who wears a crown," she said.

He gazed at her; there was something about her apart from her that truly captivated him. Maybe he had never met a woman with a royal title of such kindness before.

"You don't worship your title like your parents worship theirs, do you?" he asked.

"I care more about my people's welfare than my own; my weakness is my heart," she explained.

"A King or Queen with a heart is a good ruler," he said as he stood to his feet, "you'll make a good Queen one day your highness."

He turned his back on her, but she was not offended; she could see he was only moving to be out of sight so he could dress. But she did not want him addressing her as a Princess, for she wanted to simply be Andromeda to him.

"Andromeda," she corrected him as he walked away.

He stopped walking in he heard her voice and realised what she meant; if that was what she wanted him to call her, then he would.

"Andromeda," he said; a smirk came across his face and he was hidden from sight.

Andromeda smiled; she heard him say her name at last and it was a sound that she instantly admired.

She remained silent as she tried to remember it clearly in her mind; she was distracted when Perseus emerged dressed in more elegant clothing than he had when she first saw him. She thought he looked incredibly well and her need to know more about him rose again.

"How did you come to be here, Perseus?" she asked.

"That's a question I have no answer to," he began to explain, "someone made sure I was brought here, but I don't know why. The last thing I remember is our boat being caught up in a storm, but it's a blur after that. Then I hear a voice telling me that my family didn't survive and my destiny lies here in Argos; it was my mother's dying wish that I would come here and restore her homeland."

"You are a Prince, yet you haven't been seated on a throne?" Andromeda stated in slight confusion.

"No. After I was born, my mother and I were cast into the sea; she never told me why, only that she had brought it on herself," he explained, "But we were rescued by a fisherman, Dictys and I grew to love him as my father as he grew to love me like a son. He was the only father I knew and now he's dead too. I am a Prince, but I was raised as a fisherman and now I have lost everything I had."

Andromeda's good heart was filled of remorse for him; she wanted to console him, but was not sure how she could. Maybe words would be enough.

"My heart is filled with deep compassion for you," she said softly, "I'm sure I could never replace your family, but I will be your friend so you can know that you're not alone."

Perseus acknowledged her kindness; he was not sure if he had ever met someone with such a heart as hers. She had made an offer he could not refuse.

"Thank you," he replied, "My mother died when I was a boy; she was bitten by a poisonous serpent and the memory of her dying in my arms still haunts me in my sleep. I even tried to hunt down the serpent that killed her, but I never found it. And today, I lost three people who I came to call my family; they took me and my mother in and they were all I had when she died."

"I only wish there was something I could do," the Princess said.

"There's nothing anyone can do," he assured her, "but whoever is responsible for me being brought here was right; there is nothing left for me there, but what destiny will I find here?"

"What if it is to grant your mother's wish?" Andromeda suggested, "What if you are to become the next ruler of Argos?"

Perseus heard what she said, but doubt ran through him at the thought of being King.

"What if I don't want to be?" he said, "What if I decide that I'm not fit to be a King?"

"There are things happening that make me wish I wasn't a Princess," Andromeda told him as she walked around in the space surrounding them, "my mother is one of pure pride and like her, my father is oblivious to the many lives that their war against the gods is costing."

Perseus acknowledged her words.

"You don't believe in their war?" he said as he moved closer to her.

"I believe in ruling a kingdom in peace and prosperity, a way that doesn't cost so many lives. A way where the mortals and the gods can both be at peace, but I am not enough to stop it all," she explained; her beautiful face showing remorse and Perseus noticed it right away.

He was even more entranced by her that he moved even closer to her, almost closing the gap between them.

"You're like something from a dream," he said as he gazed into her eyes, "how is it that someone like you becomes so trapped?"

Andromeda was so taken by this that she was silent for just a moment; she found the courage to speak again as she looked at him.

"I don't feel trapped now; I haven't felt trapped since I saw you."

Something was to happen between them; they could feel it, they could both feel it in their hearts. A love was growing; a love that would soon be acted out, but not just yet.


	7. Chapter 6: An Heir and Heiress

Eos, Helios and Selene performed what they did every day for two days while Perseus slept well under the sky in Argos; a Prince back in his birthplace, but Argos' proud King and Queen had not granted him his official title, or at least they had not given him a throne to sit upon. He was simply a guest in their eyes. The ones in the palace who had such loyalty to their official rulers did not bear the desire to worship Perseus for what he really was, though they did not know what he really was and neither did he. They wished for the long-lost Prince to remain alone, though their plan and wish had backfired already as Perseus had found a friend in the Princess; Andromeda's nature of undeniable goodness and kindness had welcomed him to his home with open arms. She was the only one in the kingdom who was as beautiful on the inside as she was on the outside and she had never felt any discomfort in expressing her nature to her new friend. She had even shown him around the whole kingdom and one day, they were standing at a window together overlooking the city; they were taking about the starving and ill women and children, who had caught Perseus' eyes when he had first arrived.

"Those poor mothers and children; they are starving," Andromeda told him.

Her beautiful eyes were filled of tears; tears of pity and Perseus saw them as they rolled down her cheeks. Such a sorrowful sight he was looking upon; a beautiful young woman shedding tears for those less fortunate than her, it was a rare sight to him or at least he had not seen such a sight in a long time.

"Why are they left to starve?" he asked.

Andromeda turned to look at him.

"The war," she explained, "mother and father are so focused on the war against the gods that they neglect their rightful duties as King and Queen; they ignore the cries of our people. We have plenty of food, but we do not need it as much as they do."

She looked away from him again; they returned their eyes to the city. Perseus looked, but he was also thinking for an idea was coming to him, unless it was something that had already been done by the Princess who he warmly held in his heart.

"You've been outside the palace walls, Andromeda, but have you ever been outside alone?" he asked.

She sharply turned to look at him; what was he possibly implying? Or was he one she could trust to keep any secrets she had a secret?

"This was my mother's kingdom and she would never have ruled it this way," he explained, "the food is stored in the courtyard I know; meet me there, but be sure that no one will recognise you."

He walked away and kept walking until he was no longer in the room; Andromeda was attempting to piece together the puzzle he had left for her, but she found it too easy and smiled when she saw the plan he had revealed to her.

The long-lost Prince was proving to his new friend that he was clever as well as kind and sympathetic; Andromeda longed to be part of his intentions for the people, for they were his people as much as they were hers. Perseus could only sneak inside the food storage room by disguising himself as a servant; once inside, he gathered what food he could until a second presence interrupted him. A hooded figure entered, but closed the door behind them; Perseus was worried he had been caught but the hood was pulled down and the figure revealed themselves to be only Andromeda. Relief washed over him when he saw her face and he stood to his feet, carrying the food he had gathered in a bag; Andromeda knew he was ready.

"There's a secret way out; we can get there and back in without being seen," she told him.

"Then lead the way," he said.

Lead the way was what she did and she had been right; no one saw or noticed them leave the palace grounds. The streets were crowded, but the Prince and Princess in disguise were not recognised; they walked their way through the streets until they came to what they were looking for. All those poor children and their mothers hit Perseus' heart hard like a bolt of lightning from Zeus; he felt such pity for them and they reminded him of his own mother, who he missed very much. Andromeda felt her heart fall to pieces as she saw the sorrowful sight again; her own mother was caring in a way towards her, but Andromeda that Cassiopeia cared more for her daughter's beauty than anything else. Maybe that was true; she was incredibly proud of how beautiful Andromeda was. But thoughts were not to stop them from doing what they had set out to do; Perseus opened the sack of food on the ground and he and Andromeda took what was inside, divided it up and handed it to the children. The children were blissful at the charity as were their mothers; they knew someone cared for them, but they did not know who they were. Seeing the children happy gave Andromeda delight and Perseus too, though he smiled more because Andromeda was smiling; he acknowledged her delight that she was making at least some of her people happy with her kindness. He was finding himself more drawn to her as he saw her ambition to do good for others less fortunate than her; the growing love that he already had for her was growing stronger and it was a love he had never felt for another in his life and never would again. If anyone was to have his heart, it was Andromeda and Perseus was not a man who would dare deny that he had fallen in love. When he had lost his family, the worry that he had lost everything almost overpowered him, but now he knew he had been wrong; he had not lost everything for he had found something he had never had before and he was not prepared to lose it too.

Within little time, there was no more food left to give out, so they had to go back; the women and children showed such gratitude and it was accepted and appreciated. If only such a deed was performed every day. Perseus and Andromeda headed back to the palace, keeping themselves in disguise; Perseus' plan had worked well, for no one noticed them entering by the secret entrance and they were back inside the palace as if no one had noticed they were gone. But then why would they? Almost everyone in that palace was more focused on the war than the Princess and the Prince. They were lucky to escape to their chambers before anyone noticed they were gone, where they both changed out of their disguise and looked like a Prince and Princess again. But they were expected to look their best, for that very evening, there would be a feast held in the palace to celebrate the victories of man against the gods. Though it was against both their wills to attend, they had no choice, but at least they would have some time to spare before making their way to the room where the celebration would take place. Andromeda gazed out of her window with a smile, for it made her happy knowing what she had done for those less fortunate than herself, but at the same time sad, for how much longer before they would be starving again? But she remembered Perseus and what she could do; she was never going to let those people go hungry again. She heard footsteps behind her and knew that someone was approaching her, but she decided not to look for she did not fear who it could've been; the footsteps grew louder and louder until they were right beside her and stopped as someone was standing beside her.

"You look very happy by what we did today," Perseus said.

"It pleases me so that I can help them," Andromeda explained, "no one in this kingdom should suffer because of a war. When I am Queen, there will be no war."

Perseus acknowledged her words and was even more fascinated by her.

"You will make a great Queen one day," he told her as she turned to face him, "you are not prepared to let your people suffer and that is how a ruler should be."

She smiled at his answer and compliment.

"Although, when I am Queen, I will need a King to rule with me."

He heard what she said and could see that it was him she was directing that sentence to; it pleased him, for maybe it was saying that she felt for him what he felt for her. But doubts still ran through him, for he feared he would not be the King Argos needed.

"I do wish to make my mother proud," he said, "but what if I am not the King that Argos needs?"

"You have a good heart and you are willing to help others in need," Andromeda answered, "Argos needs a King like you, and I want a King like you."

Perseus gazed at her as she gazed back; he saw the look in her eyes. She was looking at him in a way no one else had ever done before and it was urging him to touch her, to hold her in his arms in a warm and loving embrace. Andromeda suddenly felt his hands on hers and the feeling she felt race through her was one that cannot be described; she just wished that time could've frozen so they could stay in that moment.

"I could never ask nor wish for a better Queen than you," he said softly.

Andromeda was speechless for words but words were not what she needed, for Perseus was moving closer to her, closing the gap between them and she did not make any movement to stop him for she did not want him to. The gap between them was finally closed when Perseus pressed his lips against hers; she gave into the soft, tender kiss until he pulled away. He looked at her and saw that she had no grudge or grievance against what had just happened between them; his hand touched her face and she felt safe, the gap between was closed again by another kiss, this one a tad more intimate than the first. Andromeda let her hands explore of Perseus what they could; his own hands were exploring what they could of her. Little time went by, but long enough for the kiss to last; they pulled away and were gazing upon each other knowing what the other was telling them. If either of them were to be the next rulers of Argos, they had both found their spouses in each other and that was a promise they were making to themselves.

"Princess," a third voice spoke out; a third unknown presence had joined them.

They turned to look at where the voice had come from; there standing before them was Draco, one of the most respected of the King's soldiers and one of the many who had refused to welcome Perseus to his home. He stood there with a mild poisonous look on his face; the sight he had just seen was not one to his liking. Perseus and Andromeda instantly released themselves from their embrace as they waited to hear what Draco had come for.

"Your parents sent me to bring you to the festivities, your highness," he told Andromeda.

"Oh, thank you Draco," Andromeda replied.

Draco did not move from he was, clearly he was stating that Andromeda was to make her way there now. Andromeda turn to look at Perseus; she looked at him with such tenderness and he reciprocated. After a moment, she reluctantly walked away and made her way out of her room and to where she was expected to be. Perseus watched her as she made her short journey from him to the corridor outside; the love in his eyes was still present, something that Draco could see. He looked on the Prince with a look of envy in his own eyes and Perseus saw so when he noticed that the soldier had not stopped glancing at him; all he could do was give him a heavy look back until he finally left the room. Why would Draco look at Perseus in such a way? Did he have his own feelings for Andromeda? Perseus was alone, but he was immensely happy for he had found someone he loved and he was not prepared to let her go or lose her. He turned his eyes to look at Argos and thought that maybe he would be a good King; he would certainly be a happy King as long as he had Andromeda ruling with him as his Queen.


	8. Chapter 7: A Demigod In Argos

The festivities to celebrate the victory that man had accomplished against the gods in their war was held in great splendour; only ones with the pride of Cassiopeia and her husband would be only too proud to celebrate such an event. They were seated on their thrones and Andromeda was seated on hers; she was the only one whose face bore a frown, until Perseus arrived, for her face lit up with a smile when she saw him. He was experiencing the many people who were only too happy to celebrate what Cepheus and Cassiopeia felt should be celebrated; music was playing, everyone was drinking, smiling and laughing, just as Dionysus would over all the wine he would drink. Perseus and Andromeda were the only ones who found something else to smile at when they saw each other, until one from the crowd spoke words that interrupted their happiness.

"To King Cepheus, to Queen Cassiopeia!" he called out raising his glass.

The crowd joined in with him, until Cepheus gave his own toast.

"No; to you," the King said as he stood to his feet; his wife and daughter were to join him, "Our mighty legion; our heroes who have dared to strike a blow at the heart of Zeus! The temples are burning, the statues have fallen; we have starved them of our prayers. Tonight, after a generation of struggle, the sun does not set over the ocean; it sets on Olympus itself. A new era has begun; the era of man!"

Cepheus' words of pride were spoken and the crowd cheered with pride, but not the Prince and Princess who could only look upon everyone. Cassiopeia looked at her daughter and was not impressed; in her eyes, looks of despair and sorrow did not appear well on the faces of such divine beauty or on her daughter, for in her eyes, her daughter should carry a look of delight and pride on her elegant face.

"That frown doesn't suit you Andromeda; have something to drink, you'll feel more lively," the proud Queen spat at her daughter as she handed her a golden goblet with wine.

Andromeda took the goblet, but did not drink from it nor did the frown that was distasteful to her mother leave her face; she walked away from her parents to Perseus, for he was the only one who she wished to be around.

"Take this Perseus," she said offering him the goblet, "Please drink."

"If you insist," Perseus replied; he could understand that she did not wish to take orders from her parents.

He took the goblet, touching her hand as he did, but he suddenly felt a hand slap his face before he could hold goblet himself; it was Draco who had swung a flat hand at him, much to Andromeda's horror.

"Draco! You dare to strike a Prince!" she gasped in such anger at him; she looked to Perseus but he assured her not to worry for him.

"Our daughter the missionary," Cepheus presented Andromeda with a title he and his wife found quite humouring.

Andromeda stepped forward, for she had words that she wished to share with her parents, no matter what their opinions may have been.

"Have you seen what's happening out there? Have you even bothered to look?" she asked them.

"We serve as an inspiration," Cassiopeia proudly answered.

Andromeda was not pleased with her mother's answer.

"Hundreds of men have lost their lives, yet we celebrate," she said, "you are provoking the gods and yet, you are acting as if there will be no consequence."

"Well what do you want? Should we be afraid? Should we be trembling and soiling ourselves in fear?" Cassiopeia replied, "The gods need us; they need our worship. What do we need of them? Look at my daughter."

Andromeda heard her mother and fear ran through her, for she could predict, as the Fates could, what her mother would say.

"Don't," she begged her, but it was no use.

"What could be more divine than her face? More beautiful than all the woman of Greece; more beautiful than Aphrodite herself," Cassiopeia declared, "the Olympians should envy her; we are the gods now!"

The proud Cassiopeia had committed an error of such foolishness and danger; so dangerous that she should not have committed it, but she was so easily led astray by her pride and vanity. There was no escaping from what she had done and Andromeda's words of her mother and father acting as if there would be no consequences to their actions were words they should not have ignored, for there were about to be deadly consequences to the offensive insult that Cassiopeia had just carried out. And they were to come at that very moment. Strange noises were suddenly heard steaming through the room and streams of black smoke shimmered their way from every angle of the room to the middle; this felt too familiar to Perseus as he held Andromeda close to him to protect her, could it really have been what he suspected? Soldiers armed with weapons came forward ready to confront whatever had entered the palace. The smoke was gathered together, creating a whirlwind that did not blow, but suddenly green embers could be seen and the soldiers were stunned by a mysterious force, before they were pulled into the whirlwind and destroyed; their weapons and shields disappeared. Once this was done, the smoke suddenly turned grey and then, the spinning stopped and the smoke parted two ways to reveal that Perseus' suspicions were correct, for there in front of him for the second time was Hera. The goddess looked upon the man she wanted dead, but she acknowledged his closeness to the Princess and had only one word to comment it with.

"Interesting," she said in a disturbing tone, before releasing the shields and weapons of the soldiers she had just killed upon Perseus, Andromeda and the crowd.

"Get down!" Perseus called out as he pulled Andromeda to the floor with him to protect her even further.

Hera then turned her look to the King and Queen, to whom she floated down; her feet soon met the floor and walked towards the trembling King and Queen, who could only step back. They knew she was immortal, but they did not know who she was.

"You are specs of dust beneath our fingernails; your very breath is a gift from Olympus, you have insulted powers beyond your comprehension," Hera declared to Cassiopeia.

"Who are you?" the Queen asked trying to be brave.

"I am Hera, the Queen of the gods."

Her reply drove fear straight back into the trembling Queen; did she now regret what she had done? But if she had, it was too late.

"Kneel," Hera demanded; her force of power entrapped them and they were made to follow her orders.

Perseus was on his feet again and helped Andromeda to hers; he knew he could not attack the goddess, for no one could.

"What do you know of beauty? What is more beautiful than revenge?" Hera questioned Cassiopeia as she examined her face, "Gaze upon me mortal Queen."

This was to be Cassiopeia's sole punishment; she obeyed the goddess's order and gazed upon her face. This was when Hera worked her powers; the queen felt strange, her skin was burning, her hair turning to grey, her strength was ebbing away; she was no longer young and beautiful, but old and aged. Andromeda saw what was happening like everyone else and could not stay where she was; she had to run to her mother.

"Mother!" she called out in distress as she ran towards her.

"Andromeda, no!" Perseus called out as he ran after her.

He caught her before she could get any further and held her close in an attempt to comfort her as well as keeping her safe. The punishment that Cassiopeia had suffered was only her punishment, for Hera had decided that Cepheus was to be punished also and she had found another way to exact her vengeance on Perseus as she looked at him as he held Andromeda close; she turned to face the terrified crowd.

"In ten days, when the sun is eclipsed, I will unleash the Kraken. Argos will be swept from the earth and all of you with it," she declared to everyone's horror, but she had not finished yet, "unless, you sacrifice the Princess you so foolishly compare to the gods. Only her blood will sate the Kraken and Zeus, who you have so affected."

Perseus and Andromeda were filled with terror when Hera declared the supposing solution to the city's destruction; Perseus felt anger swell up in him as well as horror that he held Andromeda closer. Hera decided it was time to take her leave as she floated up into the air again, her grey smoke lifting her.

"Choose your penance Argos; destruction or sacrifice. This is the will of Zeus," she further declared, but then she turned to Perseus, "the will of your father."

He heard the words she, as did everyone else and a feeling of shock flew through him as Hera disappeared into her cloud of smoke. Perseus loosened his holding of Andromeda as his face said every feeling he felt and every face, apart from Cassiopeia was looking at him. Could it really be true?

What Hera had discovered had been reported by one other of the Olympians, for it was Hermes' duty to discover anything relevant to any of the gods and report it and what he had just discovered, he took it to Zeus on Olympus.

"There is a Demigod in Argos," he told his King.

Zeus heard what he said, but was unable to believe it.

"That is impossible," he replied.

"He's yours; it is the son of Danaë," Hermes told him.

He heard Danaë's name and he suddenly remembered the son he had forgotten.

"Perseus?"

"We could offer him sanctuary," Hermes suggested.

But Zeus could see why he had forgotten his son; never once had he prayed to him or shown him any love.

"Have I heard his prayers? This son holds no love for me; he is no different from any of the others who have turned their backs on us," Zeus declared.

Even if Perseus was of his own blood, why should he give him sanctuary? If he held no love for him, why should he hold any? Zeus made it clear as he showed his back to Hermes; Perseus had turned his back on him, just as the other mortals, so why should he be a father to him?


	9. Chapter 8: The Goddess Of Wisdom

The room in the palace was almost silent; whispers from among the people could be heard, whispers to one another about the man who had been declared as a demigod. Perseus could only stay silent and did not care about the many whispers he could hear; the look he carried on his face was a look of thunderstruck and it was one from which he could not recover, at least not at that moment. His whole life, he had never known his father or anything about him and now he had been told that his father was a god, but was this something he wanted to true? The crowd could only whisper, Andromeda could only stand beside him; it seemed no one had anything to say or do, but one did.

"A demigod?" Draco called out, "We have a demigod in our midst!"

The crowd only spoke more words among themselves, while Perseus said nothing. However, Cepheus saw hope if the long-lost Prince really was who Hera said he was; he was walking towards him.

"If it is true, then you are the son of Zeus. You can save us; you must save us!" The King exclaimed.

Perseus heard his words, but he showed no hope, only disbelief to what Hera had said.

"I'm not a demigod. I can't save you; I'm just a man," he insisted.

But Draco did not take in his reply; he walked closer to him with a look of hatred on his face.

"Who are you? Why were you sent?" Draco demanded with frustration.

"I don't know!" Perseus replied.

But again, Draco did not accept his answer; he wanted Perseus to know about himself what they did not know and the answer to his question only angered him more. He decided to show his anger when he grabbed him in an attempt to fight him and they struggled, but it only lasted for a second if not, less.

"DO NOT TOUCH HIM!"

That voice that just roared out was familiar to Perseus; he had heard it before and Draco followed the instructions for the struggle stopped. Everyone was looking in the direction of where the voice had come from; a swirl of golden mists appeared by the doors, they took up a human shape and they turned into a figure wearing a white hooded robe. They could not see the face, until the figure let their hands pull the hood back and their head was raised; it was her, the mysterious unnamed woman who had pulled Perseus from the sea, who had made certain that the soldiers would find him, who had watched as Dictys and Marmara took him and his mother in. She was not of divine beauty, but she had a mild beautiful face that matched her long hair of brown; her robe was covering a dress of silver. She looked upon them with a fearless look in her eyes.

"I am the one who sent him here."

Draco's question had partly been answered; Perseus had been sent to them by this mysterious woman who they did not recognise, but what of the unanswered part of his question. She had an instruction to give him before she gave him the other answers he was seeking.

"Step away," she instructed Draco as she held her hand at him.

He found himself being forced to obey her; he let go of Perseus and was no longer too close to him. The woman's eyes then turned to Perseus.

"Perseus, at last we meet. I have been watching over you your whole life and have long been expecting this day," she said.

Not only was her voice familiar, for Perseus also recognised her face; he had seen her before.

"I've seen you before; I've seen you in my dreams," he said as he stepped closer towards her, "Who are you?"

"I am Athena, the goddess of wisdom; daughter of Zeus and the nymph Métis."

Finally, she had a name; a name and identity that she announced with great pride. The room was filled with more gasps as when Hera announced her identity; Perseus did not reply, for he only wanted to know why a second goddess was there, but this one seemed less harmless than the first. Athena examined his silence and the look his face carried.

"Do not be afraid Perseus; I am not here to punish nor create a prophecy," she said.

"I'm not afraid of you," Perseus replied.

"No not of me, but you are afraid of something; who you really are, well I am here to tell all that you do not know," Athena responded to his answer.

She was here to tell him everything he did not know; he had long wanted to know everything about himself that had been kept in the shadows. Now there was someone who bore all those answers and there was one question he wanted answered more than any other at that moment.

"Is it true? Am I the son of Zeus?"

This was a question Athena was neither hesitant nor afraid to answer.

"Yes; my father is your father."

There was a reaction from all in that room, not just Perseus; most were shocked, others did not know how to react. However, Athena had more to tell.

"The story of your birth is indeed a sorrowful one; you and your mother were cast into the sea by Acrisius," she explained, "your mother never told you of your father because she never had a husband and your grandfather, a jealous tyrant, decided that his daughter and grandson were to be executed. You remember your mother, but so do I because Zeus, our father, loved her. Danaë was very beautiful, so beautiful that Acrisius her father, your grandfather, grew jealous and had her guarded from the eyes of men, locked behind iron doors. But Zeus transformed himself into a glittering shower of gold and visited her; visited her and loved her. Discovering this, Acrisius grew mad with rage and ordered the execution of his daughter and Zeus' new-born son. Danaë and her child were cast into the sea, but on Zeus' orders, Poseidon rescued you both and led you to the fisherman who took you in."

Indeed she was correct; the story of Perseus' birth was one of sorrow and never had he known everything. Sorrow was the feeling his heart held and Andromeda could see it in his face; she longed to comfort him and so she went to his side; he acknowledged her comfort and her eyes said that she did not care if he was a demigod for she loved him dearly.

"I have been watching over you ever since; it was I who pulled you out of the sea when your foster family was killed because you are the last hope for both gods and men," Athena declared, "You are the only one who can bring an end to this war and now that your mother's kingdom is under threat, you, part man, part god, are the only one who can save Argos and destroy the Kraken. You are the only one who can save the Princess."

Everything she said, telling him that he was the last hope did not make sense to him; how could he save the world? How could he destroy the Kraken? He did not even know what the Kraken was or how to kill it. But saving Andromeda meant something; if he could save her, then he was not prepared to stop himself. He looked at her and could not bear the thought of losing her so the lives of others would be saved. And of course, he remembered his mother and the promise he had made to her; he would never fulfil that promise if he did nothing to save her kingdom from destruction. He suddenly turned to face Athena.

"What am I meant to do?" he asked.

Athena was pleased; he was willing to take on the quest and she was only too happy to give him the answer.

"The answer you seek; you will find it in the Stygian Gardens. I will guide you there myself, for although I am too weak to fight, I have enough strength to ensure your safety," she proudly told him.

Perseus was in no position to refuse, but there was another who had a question for the goddess and he was rushing towards at her at that moment.

"Please goddess!" Cepheus begged, "My wife! Please save her! You can undo what has happened to her!"

Athena showed no remorse as she looked at the King; her eyes took her to his wife for a moment and they travelled back to Cepheus as he knelt before her with a look of desperation on his face.

"Your wife's arrogance, pride and vanity have been her downfall, as they are for everyone of such a nature. Once a god has made a punishment, it cannot be undone; the only fate for your wife now is death," she told him with coldness present in her voice, much to the despair of the King and his daughter.

Athena's sight returned to Perseus.

"I will leave you for now, but I will return when you have set out on your quest, brother."

Perseus showed no bright feeling when he heard her call him her brother; the one sister he had ever known was the only one could call him that, but she was now dead. He said nothing to Athena; he just watched as she transformed into the golden mists again and disappeared, with everything she had told him echoing in his mind.


	10. Chapter 9: For The Love Of A Princess

Commotion, there was much commotion in the palace following the terrifying events at the festivities; the aged Queen Cassiopeia was left to lie in her bed, dying by every second as her strength ebbed away more and more. The city was now under threat in the hands of a fearsome titan, to which the Princess had been ordered to be sacrificed. The Kraken was indeed a fearsome creature and 'beast' was not the right word to describe it; it was a creation of the Titans themselves during their imprisonment in Tartarus, where it grew for a whole millennium. The Kraken was the ultimate weapon and last of the Titans and it had been locked in Tartarus until a day would when one would need the use of the most powerful weapon and that day would soon arrive. But the goddess of wisdom had much faith in her demigod half-brother and she was certain he could destroy the beast, but was he?

"What is in the Stygian Gardens?" Cepheus asked.

"The Stygian Witches my lord; they are three blind witches with knowledge that knows no bounds," replied his advisor, "If the goddess of wisdom is right, then that is where we will find the answer. But the journey is perilous. Even if we find them; even if they show us a way to defeat the Kraken, we may not live to exploit their advice."

"Why not?" the King asked.

"They have a craving for human flesh human," the adviser replied.

"Sire, we need to get the Princess out of the city now," Draco said upon hearing the advisor's answer, "I'll find a place to hide her."

"You can't hide from Hera," Perseus explained with a bitter voice.

"So says the bastard son of a god," the advisor spat at him.

The bitterness in Perseus' tone of voice showed on his face at the advisor's title for him; there were feelings he had to express.

"An innocent young woman has been put to death on the orders of a god," he said as bitterly as he could, "I promised my mother that one day, I would take my rightful place here in Argos; restore the kingdom. I know I cannot go against her wishes and I cannot let one innocent life be sacrificed to save the lives of others. I am prepared to help; I'll set out to the Stygian Gardens, I'll find the three witches and I'll destroy the Kraken."

So he was certain he could kill the Kraken; he was determined to find the weapon needed to destroy the beast and save Andromeda. She was his motive for wanting to set out on the quest, but so was his mother for he knew she would never want her kingdom destroyed and he had a promise to keep to her.

"Do you know what the Kraken is?" Draco asked when he saw Perseus' ambition, "The Kraken is the end of us; a colossal, elemental beast. It doesn't think, it doesn't feel; even the gods fear it and you, you are going to kill it?"

"Don't come; I don't need your help," Perseus said.

"Of course not; you are the son of Zeus, but we are warriors," Draco replied.

"Stop," a third voice had joined the conversation; it was Andromeda, "No one should have to go anywhere; no one should have to die for me."

Perseus acknowledged that she was putting others before herself, but he could not bear for her to die; he walked closer to her.

"You shouldn't have to die for anyone; someone's going to have to take a stand," he gently told her, before turning back to the others, "We'll set out tomorrow; make sure your men are well prepared."

"Oh they will be," Draco assured him.

The demigod had accepted to set out on a dangerous quest to find a way to destroy the Kraken; Cepheus was overcome with joy and he wanted Perseus to know his gratitude.

"Thank you Perseus!" he gasped, "For the love of my kingdom, thank you!"

However, Perseus did not want the king's gratitude and there was a simple reason to why; he felt Cepheus and everyone should know.

"I'm not doing this for you; I'm doing it for her," he told the King, directing to Andromeda.

Cepheus was acknowledging Perseus' true feelings for his daughter; they came even more to light when Perseus walked to Andromeda again and held her hand in his.

"I will not let you die for the sake of others when there is a way to save us all; no one will die, except for the Kraken," he assured her.

She heard what he was promising, but she was too overcome with worry to let him set on something so life threatening; her tears were overpowering her and she could not control her despair. She could not bear to stay in the room any longer; she released her hand from Perseus' hold and fled from the room in distress, her cries could be heard as she ran.

"Andromeda!" Perseus called after her as she fled, but she did not respond to him.

The Princess's chamber was not very silent that night as Selene lit up the sky with her many, many brothers and sisters; Andromeda was seated on her bed and could only shed tears of sorrow for the possible death of the man she loved. She was prepared to die for the sake of others, but Perseus was not prepared for her to make such a sacrifice; she was all he had in his life now and was not willing to lose her to death too after the death of his mother and his foster family. He searched for her, but knew where to find her; she heard the doors of her chamber opening and turned to look at who was entering, it was Perseus as she suspected. He closed the doors behind him when he saw the sadness on her face; he wanted to be alone with her and uninterrupted. Andromeda gave him a sign to join her; he saw the sign in her eyes as he looked at her and was soon seated next to her. There was silence, but only for a moment.

"I'm so afraid for you," she said through her tears.

"We're all afraid," he said as he wiped her tears away with his finger, "but I'm more afraid for you if I don't go."

"If I am to die to protect my people, I will accept it for I cannot bear to cost you your life when so many others have already lost theirs."

Andromeda assured this to him, but he had something to assure her.

"But you're not the cause of lives being lost."

"No one should have to die for me," she insisted.

"Andromeda, do not let your heart stop you from believing that I can do this," he told her, "I will take on this quest and I'm doing it for you."

"Then I will come with you," she pleaded.

"No, no it's too dangerous," Perseus told her, "you have to stay here; it's safer for you."

She wanted to go with him so she could be with him, but she felt her heart break when he said what he did; she became more determined to stop him from leaving her.

"But what if the quest is more dangerous than you imagine and you do not succeed?" she suggested, "What if it will be all for nothing?"

"I will succeed; you must have faith in me, no matter how afraid you are," he told her with such certainty.

She looked upon his face and let herself think of how she would miss him when he was gone; she had found a man who had won her heart and she could not bear for her heart to be broken by his death.

"So little time together, so little time," she said as she touched his face; he looked on at her with such love in his eyes.

"I promise you I will return safely; I will destroy the Kraken, I will save you and Argos and when I do, I will marry you."

A promise had been made and this was not one he was prepared to break, nor was it one she could refuse. But words were not spoken once this promise was made for instead, it was sealed, sealed with a kiss; a kiss that would become more throughout that night. Perseus did not let his lips leave Andromeda's nor did she want him to break away from her; they only parted as their clothes were slipped off them and Perseus lay Andromeda on the bed, holding her close as she held onto him with the urge of not wanting him to let go flowing through her. The night passed with their intimacy; their love making could have lasted for longer if Selene chose not to set, allowing this night to last forever. That was the lovers' only wish as they explored a territory of each other neither of them had known before; they had never known this kind of love and intimacy until that moment as they declared and showed the true nature of their feelings for one another in this physical and loving way that joined them through body and soul.

Selene reigned for the night as she always did, but the time came for her set until the next night would fall. She fell from the sky and awoke Eos so she could bring forth a new day and herald Helios as he rose into the sky for his turn to reign again. His rays lit the earth below him and they soon beamed into the chamber of Andromeda, where the Princess was still asleep in the arms of Perseus. The rays hit Perseus' face and he felt the heat against his cheek; he stirred and opened his eyes, it was the morning of the next day, the day when he would set out on his quest. But he remembered he was not alone as he looked upon the divine beauty he was holding in his arms who was still asleep; she looked so beautiful, so peaceful that he could not find it in him to wake her. He gently released her from his hold without disturbing her; once free, he stroked her face and planted a soft kiss on her cheek. This was his way of saying goodbye. He climbed quietly out of the bed, grabbed his clothing and armour and quietly dressed himself before leaving the room; Andromeda was still asleep. Perseus walked through the palace he had come to know until he reached the place, or at least one of the places that belonged to the soldiers. They were choosing and preparing their weapons and other equipment so they were ready for their journey; Draco was among them and Perseus could only join in the preparations, no matter how much they did not wish for him to be a part of this quest.

In the chamber of the sleeping Princess, she would be sleeping no more as she stirred; she moved her hand and felt nothing beside her apart from silk. She opened her eyes and gasped when she saw that Perseus was gone; she suddenly remembered what was to happen on that day and she could not let him go without seeing him one more time. She quickly emerged from her bed to dress her naked body so she could rush outside before it was too late. She ran unaware that the soldiers were prepared to leave; they were gathered in the front courtyard, weapons and armour all at the ready. They were to walk through the gates of the palace, through the streets and out of the city, but their beginning was interrupted by the arrival of the princess; she had reached them just in time. She was looking at Perseus and he knew what she was saying; he walked away from the soldiers so he could join her one more time. Her forming tears in her eyes were visible; she gazed at him and he at her for a moment before words were spoken.

"Were you going to leave without saying goodbye?" she asked him.

"I didn't want to wake you," he replied.

Andromeda was holding something in her hand; it was something of hers that she wanted to give him.

"Take this with you so you won't forget me," she said as she put it around his neck, "it's a token of my undying love."

It was one of her many necklaces, but this one was her most favoured and that is why she was giving it to the man who had promised to marry her. Never had Perseus such a gift from the heart; it did indeed charm him.

"Thank you, but I need nothing to remember you by," he told her.

That may have been a fact, but he could not refuse it for it meant he had something of her wherever he went; he promised himself it would never leave his neck. She may have asked him if he was leaving without saying goodbye, but to say the word was much too sorrowful; there was a better way to bid farewell to one another. A tear fell from Andromeda's eye, so Perseus touched her face and wiped it away; it did not stop there for that was when they said goodbye in the best way they could. Their goodbye was in the form of one more kiss, a sight that the soldiers found difficult to take a liking to, especially Draco; he tried to step forward and intervene, only to be stopped by his friend Solon, who had to make him see that there was no point, for the Princess had given her heart to the demigod. The kiss came to an end and the lovers were silent as they looked into each other's eyes for a moment; it was another way of them bidding farewell as they held hands. Perseus had to let his hand slip away from Andromeda's as he was forced to walk away and re-join the soldiers; he re-joined them but before leaving the palace grounds, there was one more deed to be done; he turned back to face the Princess again and this is for the last time before he left to set on the quest to save her. They exchanged gazes again and the deed that he had to do was done, but it was one where words were spoken.

"I love you Andromeda."

His final deed brought some happiness to her and she smiled, but she was still holding grief in her heart over his departure. He smiled at her and his back was shown to her again; he was walking out of the palace grounds with the soldiers as she watched. The people of the city were begging the soldiers to not leave them; they thought they could save them and that is they were pleading with them to stay in Argos, but they were ignored. The soldiers could not stay and neither could Perseus; if they were to save Argos and Andromeda, this was what had to be done.


	11. Chapter 10: An Old Enemy Returns

Perseus had set out on his quest; everything was just beginning and as Athena had told him, he had found his destiny in Argos and it was the Princess with whom he had fallen in love. Argos knew that the demigod and their soldiers were gone hoping to find a way to save the kingdom, but they were not the only ones who knew; the gods on Olympus had been informed of the quest, except for one. Zeus was seated on his throne, unaware of his son's intentions; he was certain that the deeds his wife had done were what would save them, but he was wrong and other of his sons would tell him. He would no longer be alone in the great throne room, for the son he was joined by was Apollo. Apollo walked towards his father and bowed; Zeus welcomed his entrance and wanted to know what message his son had for him.

"Speak," he instructed.

"Perseus, your son," Apollo said.

Zeus heard the name of his demigod son again, but did not want to feel threatened.

"What consequence is he?" he asked.

"He aims to kill the Kraken," Apollo replied.

"Does he now?" Zeus said; he did not find this intention dangerous, but foolish that he let out a gentle laugh, "Let him try."

"Perhaps you should help him," Apollo suggested.

"Help him undo our plan?" Zeus replied.

He was still so certain that Hera was the key to bringing back the people's prayers; nothing would let him think otherwise, but only because he refused to let it. It was all part of his stubbornness, but yet it could be broken.

"Hera is one of a jealous and vengeful nature that knows no bounds," Apollo stated, "she can't be trusted with this might. She will never be contempt just as she serves you."

"But she serves me well, better than any of you," Zeus replied, "they pray again in Argos, they bow and they pray."

"But who are they praying to?" Apollo asked; he was clearly much wiser than his father, "Have we grown stronger? Have we been nourished? I haven't felt it. Her way is not our way; they will always fear revenge and death, so she will always be fed. We need the love of the humans!"

Apollo's words were wise, but Zeus would not acknowledge them.

"I do what I do to ensure our survival; Hera is an instrument of that end," he said, "now; leave me."

Apollo was reluctant to find that his father would take into consideration everything he had said and expressed; he was unable to say anything more, only bow to his father again.

"You will hear nothing more of this from me," he said as he bowed.

"Good," Zeus said and he watched as his son left him alone once more.

But alone is not how he would be, for another of his children was to join him but her arrival was different from her brother's; she appeared through her mist of gold and stood before her father, bowing just like Apollo.

"Apollo is right father," Athena said, "Perseus is our only hope, not Hera."

"And why should I choose to believe such a thought?" Zeus asked.

"You have never turned me away nor have you ever dismissed my opinions," Athena told him, "You once had love for this son of yours and I believe there is still some left in you; do not try and turn away from it. Perseus is setting out on a dangerous quest and I seek to guide him."

Zeus knew Athena was not afraid of him, for her wisdom was greater than his and all the other gods.

"You, Athena, you choose to side against me with this son that holds no love for me, for us?" he said as he rose to his feet, "You seek to undo our plan?"

"This is Hera's plan, not yours and not ours. You cannot stop me father; I betray no one," Athena replied and she slowly walked closer to him, "I have been betrayed, but I have not betrayed; Perseus is your son, you are my father and so he is my brother. His blood is your blood as is mine and I will not turn on one of my own blood."

She then forced something into his hand.

"Learn to love him again father; learn to realise that he is the one who will save us," she said, "learn to be a father to him as you are a father to me."

Athena had spoken all she needed to; there was nothing more to be said and is why she took her leave in the same way she arrived. Zeus looked at what she had forced into his hand; it was wrapped in white cloth, so he had to uncover it with his fingers. He finally did; it was the model of Perseus, like the models of every living person surrounding him. Zeus looked at what he had of his son and could almost feel a twinge of compassion, but not a great deal for he still felt bitter.

"He has no love for me," he said to himself in a bitter tone.

"You will gain his love if you become a father to him," a voice said.

Zeus turned around to where it was coming from and saw his brother Hades sitting on his own throne; Hades stood up onto his feet and walked towards his brother and king.

"A son can only love his father if his father loves him without any condition," he said and Zeus was listening, but he still felt the need to reply.

"What do you know?" Zeus asked him.

"I have my own sons and daughters with my wife; I know what it is to be a father," Hades answered, "Your daughter Athena is never wrong brother; perhaps you should consider the opinions of your children if you are to put an end to this war and regain the people's prayers. Your son Apollo speaks the truth; I do not feel nourished and neither do you, so maybe this son who holds no love for you is our only solution for Hera's ways may just be for her own sake."

His brother's words were mirroring the words of his son and daughter and his eyes were once again on the model of his demigod son that he was still holding in his hand; what if they were right? What if Hera's ways were only for her own sake and Perseus was the key to saving them all?

For her own sake were indeed what Hera's way were; there was no proof of it, but it was the truth and she had discovered another way to ensure that she did succeed. Whatever happened to King Acrisius? He had been struck by Zeus' lightning as punishment for casting Danaë and Perseus into the sea, but what became of him afterwards? The answer to that question lay under the city of Argos. There was a hideout under the city and by the sea and no one knew of its existence, except for the occupant and the gods, but the gods never ventured there until the night of that very same day. Helios had set and Selene was now reigning once again, while the goddess of marriage herself had entered the unknown home under Argos; the occupant was there as she knew he would be and said his name, a name that he had not called himself for years.

"King Acrisius."

The occupant was wearing a black hooded robe; the hood was covering his face and he heard her call him what she did, but he felt she had to be corrected.

"There is no Acrisius, just Calibos," he said with anger in his abnormal voice.

He expressed his anger even further when he threw a goblet of wine away from him, as Hera slowly entered. Calibos turned to look at his visitor and straightened himself in his surprise; he was no longer slouching over anything.

"We have an enemy in common; Zeus," she told him.

"Zeus?" Calibos gasped; he had just heard the one name he hated of all names.

"My husband," Hera said.

Calibos suddenly realised who his visitor was, but why was the goddess of marriage visiting him?

"What do you want from me?" he asked.

"Zeus' seed in your daughter survived," Hera explained, "the child of your shame… Perseus."

"He lives?" Calibos replied.

"You murdered your daughter for nothing," Hera said; Calibos was not aware that she was lying, "now Perseus herds himself from Argos to destroy me. He must die!"

"What would you have me do?" he asked.

"Zeus must think I serve him, but I am growing stronger," the goddess said, "Until I possess my full power, you will be my weapon. Come."

Calibos followed her orders and approached her; she took off his robe revealing his deformed self. Indeed, he was no longer a King, but a monster; Zeus had punished him in a terrible manner. Hera prepared herself and once she was ready, she exhaled some of her powers into Calibos; he could feel how different he was.

"Use this!" she commanded him, "Kill Perseus for me and I'll destroy Zeus for you."

"I serve you my Queen! The boy will die!" he swore to her.

This was his chance to see Zeus destroyed, which is what he had longed for all those years and Hera saw a true warrior in her new weapon; all he had do for her was to find Perseus and eliminate him before he could complete his quest and to see his stepson dead was only something that would please the former King.


	12. Chapter 11: A Sister's Guidance

The journey to the Stygian Witches had begun; Perseus, Draco and many of the others set out from Argos and ventured into lands that Perseus had never seen or heard of. They crossed mountains and deserts; this was not only a quest, it was an adventure for the demigod Prince. Helios remained in the sky for them through the day, while Selene would shine down upon them during the night when they would sleep and rest; it would take days to reach the witches and time was something they could not afford to waste if this quest was to be completed with success. Throughout the many landscapes they crossed, they finally came to a forest of trees and fir; this was to be their first resting point for they were tired and could travel no more for now. Some of them even chose to express their tiredness through words.

"How far is it?" one of them asked.

"Four days to the witches," answered Solon, one of the older soldiers.

"Four days?" his answer was not the others had hoped for, "I'm tired already!"

Perseus stopped walking, but not because he was tired; the strap of his sandal had broken and he needed to mend it, though two of the soldiers took advantage of this and seized an opportunity to mock him.

"Would you like us to wait?" Solon asked in a sarcastic tone.

Another soldier pushed him in an attempt to knock him over as he walked passed him and as he laughed as he walked away; Perseus knew they were not in favour of having a demigod among them, but he was not about to say anything back to them. But one soldier looked beyond that fact of him; his name was Ixas and when he saw what Perseus was trying to do, he felt pity and chose to offer him some help. He reached into his bag and pulled out some sort of strap wrapped up in a ball.

"Here, use this," he said as he threw it to Perseus.

Perseus acknowledged his kindness and was grateful to him, though he did not thank him through words as Ixas carried on walking away, but he'd seen the thanks in the demigod's face. Perseus used the strap and it worked; his sandal was mended and as soon as it was, he was standing on his feet again. But when he was standing again, he turned to look behind him and saw an uninvited guest making her way through the fir in his direction; it was Athena. Indeed, she had kept to her word that she would join him as soon as he had set out on his quest, though his face was telling her that she was needed but she took no notice; the goddess of wisdom was not one who would grant a man's request when his request was for her to not be there when she knew she had to be. She continued to walk in the direction of him and the others, but then something got her attention from another direction; a hoot was let out from the sky and she turned to look in its direction. Perseus looked also and saw an owl; a most beautiful owl with feathers of gold and white flying towards the goddess. Athena smiled at the sight and walked in the direction of the creature that she held her arm out to; Perseus followed her and came across as the owl perched on her hand, clearly it knew her and Athena knew it just like she knew Perseus was standing close to her.

"The owl is a wise creature indeed; this is Bubo, he is my friend," she said as she stroked his soft feathers; Perseus only looked on and Athena noticed, "Why do you look so surprised? Even the gods have companions in the forms of simple earth creatures; there are creatures from this world that we worship. I have no consort or lover, for I need neither; Bubo is the only companion that I need and I will never part with him."

Perseus heard the words she spoke, but he wanted to confront her.

"What are you still doing here?" he asked firmly.

"I am here to guide you on your quest," she answered without looking at him.

"Why would you want to guide me?"

"Even the bravest and strongest man needs guidance on a dangerous quest," she explained, "Do not try to defy me Perseus, for I will not turn away; I am just a sister guiding her brother on something that he does not know."

She saw his reaction to the last words she spoke and knew she had to confront him.

"You are still angry; tell me why."

"You know why," he replied.

"Yes I do know why, but it is not me you are angry with. You are taking out your angry on me because you cannot find it in you to show any anger towards your mother, Dictys and Marmara for keeping your identity from you."

He knew she was right; the sorrow overtook him as the feeling of betrayal ran through him as Athena looked on.

"I don't understand how someone could keep something such as this a secret for so long, especially someone you care about who cares about you," he explained remorsefully.

"I would like to believe that your mother would eventually have told you herself had she not died, but I do not know if she would have for she did feel shameful after her union with father; Acrisius made her feel that it was her fault and she had committed a terrible sin against him and their people," Athena said, "But the fault was not hers and she did truly care about you; once you were born, I could see the bond between a mother and son between you both when she looked at you for the first time. She loved you, you know she did but whether she would have told you, I do not know for I cannot speak for her. And Dictys thought he was protecting you, but there is nothing to be protected from."

"Isn't there?" Perseus asked after hearing her last words.

"Of course not, being a god is not a curse Perseus; let go of your anger for anger is always one's downfall and this quest is one that you cannot afford to fail," she firmly said.

She held a firm look in her eyes that he saw; it was warning him to not challenge her and he did not dare, instead he turned on his heel and walked away. Athena did not stop him for she was certain that he knew she was right and that in time, he would be able to throw his anger away; she only turned back to Bubo and stroked him more as he gave out his hoots.

Back in Argos, the people were trying what they could to undo Hera's prophecy so no one would have to die, but nothing was working. Helios was shining upon a frightened and sad city, though the greatest fear and sadness came from the palace. The once beautiful Cassiopeia now lay in her bed, old, weak and dying; priests and her servants were doing what they could for her, but there were no cures to Hera's curse; all they could do was make her feel peaceful and relaxed. The King was weak himself, but by sadness and fear; Cepheus was saddened at his wife's fate and fearful for his daughter's life and the life of his city if Perseus did not succeed. But Andromeda's fear was not for her own life, but for the life of her Prince; how she missed him and she hoped he would survive the dangers he had chosen to face for her. She stood at the window of her mother's chambers looking out over the city and thinking of nothing but Perseus and the fate of her people if she did not meet Hera's demands, but she was not to be alone for long. Her young handmaiden Peshet joined her and her aim was to bring her mistress some comfort.

"Bodies wash up on the shore every hour; people are trying to escape, but Hera is watching," she said as she looked out at the city.

"It's my name they're calling; this cannot continue," Andromeda replied as tears filled her eyes; they then fell when she thought of Perseus again. "If Perseus dies, I'm to blame."

"He will succeed; he will come back," Peshet said with forced confidence.

"You cannot see the future any better than I," the princess told her.

Andromeda was prepared to take the blame of lives being lost, even though Perseus had told her the fault was not hers. Unlike her parents, she was willing to take responsibility for wrongs that happened in the kingdom, but Perseus had brought her such comfort that she felt joyous in his presence. But he was gone and she was not certain if he would return, but his return was the greatest wish that she bore in that moment in time; the thought of losing her lover as he embarked on a dangerous quest for her was just too much to bear and she thought of this as she looked upon the kingdom.

Andromeda was not the only one with thoughts running through her mind. On Olympus, Zeus had only been able to look at the model of Perseus that Athena had forced into his hands; her words of wisdom had indeed broken through to him, as did the words of Hades. Looking at the model of Perseus, Zeus could feel the love he once bore for his son swelling up in him; it was telling him that he did care for him, just like all fathers should. Perseus was his son, his blood and he did not want any harm to come to him on this quest; maybe he was the one who Zeus should have held faith in and he felt faith for his son, but he also wanted to offer some assistance.

"Hermes," he called out.

The messenger appeared to him from out of thin air; he bowed to the King after he entered.

"Yes my lord?" he greeted him.

"I want you to have a good piece of weaponry crafted for my son," Zeus commanded, "a sword made of the finest metal on Olympus; be sure that Perseus finds it."

"As you command," Hermes said bowing before he left.

Hermes decided not to question Zeus' command, for he could see already why he had made such one; Zeus bore the answer in his eyes.

As the previous day had gone by, Perseus had received some guidance on how to fight; Draco had taught him how to use a sword and was amazed at Perseus' skills. He stated there was a god in Perseus; a comment Perseus was not happy to welcome, but he said nothing. That day was now gone and a new day had arrived. The others were sleeping, but Perseus was awake during the early hours before the others; he quietly redressed himself in his armour and kitted himself with his sword, but then he heard something. There was a strange sound calling out to him, like a siren's voice and he chose to follow it, though Draco was awakened by the sound of Perseus walking away; he followed him. Perseus found where the sound was coming from and there was something on the ground; something shining so brightly and when he got closer, it was not something he had seen before. It was a piece of metal in a strange shape; he picked it up and for a moment nothing happened, but then something did happen. There was a brighter light engulfing the object and it turned into a sword; it was the sword that Hermes had crafted on Zeus' orders. Perseus knew it was no ordinary sword and he found it fascinating; he found it was swift, swifter than the sword he was carrying on his belt, but he was questioning if he should accept for he did not know where it came from. That question was soon answered when Draco revealed himself.

"A gift from the gods; forged on Olympus," he said.

"Why?" Perseus asked.

"Just accept it."

Perseus only looked at him with resentment showing on his face, but suddenly a third voice spoke out.

"That sword was forged for you by Hermes on father's orders; it appears the fatherly love he had for you before the war begun is rekindling."

It was Athena.

"Like I, he wants you to be safe; it seems he is no longer letting his arrogance get the better of him," she said as she walked towards him.

She stood beside Perseus and took the sword from him.

"This sword Perseus is just a sword; the only difference it bears from the one you are carrying on your belt is the metal," she explained, "the metal from which it is made is no metal that can be found here on earth; it is no brass nor iron nor any metal that you have ever seen."

She took a few steps away from him and brandished the sword.

"It is the strongest," she said and she cut the sword's blade through a whole tree trunk and a rock to Perseus' amazement.

"It is the swiftest," she expertly moved the sword through; she was an expert at weapons, but she was becoming towards Perseus so he drew his sword.

But Athena used the Olympian sword well, for she cut through Perseus' sword completely; Perseus then found himself being tripped and falling to the ground and Athena was standing over him pointing the sword at his throat.

"And a demigod is suited for this weapon just as much as a god is. Divine gifts should never be questioned, just accepted," she told him.

She moved the sword away from him, stuck it into the ground and helped Perseus back to his feet; she had indeed proved a point.

"I can do this as a man," he said.

"But you are not just a man Perseus," Athena exclaimed, "Even though you have been raised as a man, you are not one of them, at least by half, because you have a god in you and that cannot be changed. You accepted this quest to save your Princess and your mother's kingdom and the only way you will succeed is if you accept who you are."

She took the sword in her hands and was presenting it to him; he could see what she was doing.

"The sword is yours, so just take it," she told him, "it is not a curse to be the son or daughter of Zeus."

There was no challenging her and Perseus did not have a choice, for he no longer had a weapon. If this was what he had to do in order to save Andromeda then he had no choice, no matter how reluctant he felt but the goddess standing before him was telling him that he was not cursed. He took the sword from her hands, held it in his own again and put it on his belt, where it turned into its previous shape. Athena was pleased with his choice; her eyes told him that he had made the right choice to use the sword that been forged for him. Her eyes turned to Draco and she thanked him through silence, but there was something else she had left to do.

"Come with me; there is something else I would like to show you," she told Perseus and she began to walk away.

He only watched her walk away, for he did not want to follow her and looked at Draco for a moment, but he turned back to Athena when he heard her voice again.

"Come!"

She had stopped walking away; she had noticed he had not followed her and was waiting for him to do so, which he eventually did. She led him through to a part of the forest he had not yet seen; Bubo was perched on a branch, but he was not what Athena had to show. She stroked Bubo, but looked in another direction and Perseus followed her look; that was when he saw a sight more fascinating than the sword. In front of him were the most magnificent creatures he had ever seen; horses with wings of feathers. They were all white and were eating the grass that was growing in that part; he wanted to get closer to them, maybe even ride one.

"The sacred herd of winged horses; beautiful, are they not?" Athena said, "Though the one that is most sacred to the gods is not here."

"Why not?" Perseus asked.

"He is yet to arrive."

Athena returned to Bubo, while Perseus walked closer to the sacred herd and was as close as he needed to be; such peaceful creatures they looked. But suddenly, they were startled away; Athena noticed also and Perseus turned to look at the sky when he heard another horse's call come from there. A larger winged horse and flew down to him; this one was different from the others not just in size, but also in colour for while the others were white, this one was black; a black beauty it was. Perseus was forced onto the ground by its entrance to keep safe, but was eventually able to return to his feet once the creature was a tad calm. But it was Athena who would calm it even more as she walked towards it and stroked it gently; the horse responded gently back.

"Pegasus, the strongest of the winged horses; the mighty stallion and leader of the herd," Athena declared.

This was the most sacred of the winged horses she had spoken of just moments before; she welcomed Perseus to touch him and so did Pegasus. It seemed the demigod had found a new friend in this splendid creature, for Pegasus could see he was one of a good nature and did not fear him. Pegasus felt soft beneath Perseus' hands; such a fine beast he was and Athena acknowledged the bond that had already formed between her brother and the winged stallion.

"No man has ever ridden him," she explained, "until this day."

Perseus heard her words and felt startled; how could he ride such a creature? But Athena said everything with silence and he saw the look on her face; Pegasus even moved in a strange manner when he looked at Perseus and bowed his head to him. Perseus looked at him and saw the way the stallion was gazing at him; he turned to Athena and she nodded in silence, confirming what Pegasus was saying through his eyes. Hesitance was present in the demigod at first, but then it passed and curiosity took its place as the thought of riding a horse that flew entered his mind; he touched Pegasus again and the stallion was once again calm and this was a safe sign. Perseus chose not to think anymore as Athena stepped away and before he could stop himself, he climbed onto Pegasus' back and held onto what he could of the horse. Athena watched as Pegasus positioned himself to be airborne and the stallion ran a few steps before jumping into the air; his wings pushing him further into the sky. Perseus felt afraid at first, for this was never something he had never done before, until Pegasus had flown him high into the sky over the forest and other lands surrounding it; the view was amazing. Once in the sky high above, Perseus felt fear leave him as Pegasus was flying beautifully through the air; he let go of any hard feelings as he experienced something new for the first time. Pegasus' call and the sound of his wings were heard by the soldiers down on the ground and they looked up at the sky; they saw the winged stallion flying through the air and knew right away that it was Perseus on his back. Perseus looked down at them as he passed them overhead; he even smiled and continued to smile as he turned away and Pegasus continued to fly. Athena stayed where she was waiting for them to return and the time came shortly afterwards when Pegasus appeared in sight again; he came into the clearing and landed on the ground in the best way for him. His hooves touched the ground and he was steady; it was safe for Perseus to climb off him and once he had, he stroked the stallion's head as Athena stood beside him.

"The most beautiful stallion in the world," he exclaimed.

"Yes indeed, but thirsty," Athena replied, "This is where the winged horses come for shelter, rest, food and water; the spring they drink from is just behind those trees."

"Come on Pegasus, come on," Perseus said softly as he led the stallion away.

"Bubo!" Athena called to her owl and he flew to her, perching on her hand; she followed Perseus and Pegasus to the spring.

Indeed as she had said, the spring was behind the trees and a beautiful one it was; it was not a wonder to Perseus why the winged horses chose to drink from here. He gently lead Pegasus to the edge of the water and the stallion bent down to drink; the cool, refreshing waters soothed his thirst and Perseus stayed by his side for he had already grown attached to the stallion.

"You have found a new friend in him," said Athena, "Pegasus is loyal to you now for he has no fear of you."

Perseus did not say anything, but he smiled; he may have been reluctant to accept the sword, but Pegasus was a creature he could find it in him to turn away because he was one with a life of his own as well as a magnificent creature of fascination in the eyes of many and he had been the first man to ride him, though he wasn't just a man and was this something that he could accept? For now, he decided to not to think about that for he was just happy to watch his newfound friend as he was soothed and relaxed.


	13. Chapter 12: The Battle Commences

The soldiers were not aware of the whereabouts of the area of the forest to which Athena had brought Perseus, so two of the soldiers were sent out to look for him. There was no sign of him, but one of them heard something; the snapping of a twig caused by footsteps. Someone was approaching them, but was it Perseus? There was the sound of a blade swift and one of the soldiers felt a great pain rush through his body; he had been stabbed to death and the scream of pain he let out was heard by the others. Pegasus heard the scream and it frightened him that he stopped drinking the waters of the spring and flew away, while Perseus ran to where the scream had come from for he knew, like the others, that they were under attack. Athena could not follow, for she did not bear enough strength to fight; Perseus ran to where the soldier had been killed just in time to see the killing of the other and a sight of horror it was. The young man was screaming for someone to help him when the monster that was attacking him tore his body in half from the waist; Perseus looked on and waited for the killer to show his face. He turned round and revealed himself; it was Calibos and he saw the demigod, knowing instantly who he was.

"You reek of your father," he said.

And that was when battle commenced; Calibos and Perseus were face to face, but Calibos was much stronger than Perseus and managed to overpower him when he disarmed him of his weapon. Calibos inflicted a terrible wound on Perseus when he bit him in the arm and would not let his teeth emerge from Perseus' flesh; he was serving his new mistress and exacting his own revenge on Zeus. The other soldiers arrived, but Calibos seemed invincible to their weapons for Ixas' arrow did not harm him; his skin was like rocks. Perseus managed to break free of the bite, but his arm was left with a wound though he would not stop fighting. The demigod and the soldiers fought against the monster, but Calibos killed several of them leaving only five; Perseus, Draco, Solon, Ixas and Eusebios. But when Calibos moved to kill Perseus by taking his head in his hand to crush his skull, Draco interceded with his sword and Calibos lost a hand; Draco severed it from his arm. Calibos could see he was able to fight no more, so he ran into the desert beside the forest; Perseus chose to follow him and the soldiers followed Perseus, unaware that something more cynical was happening. The severed hand was moving and then transforming; it was transforming into a creature that could kill them all and as Calibos ran, he was leaving a trail of blood. Even the blood itself would bring forth something deadly. They followed Calibos in ruins in the desert, but he escaped and something else came to fight them instead; the creatures formed from the severed hand and the blood, scorpions. Three gigantic black scorpions; one of them came from Calibos' hand and the others from his blood as they emerged from the desert's sand. A battle in the desert began; swords and stings were swinging swiftly and claws were snapping, all trying to strike at something. The scorpions were quick and strong, but the battle was won by the prince and the soldiers; they managed to stab each of the giant creatures to death and the first battle they had fought was only a partial victory for Calibos had escaped. They made their way back to where the battle had begun and were looking upon the bodies of the soldiers killed at Calibos' hand; sorrow swept over the survivors, but so did frustration with one.

"Are you happy?" Draco spat at Perseus, before he threw him to the ground.

Perseus was who Draco blamed for the deaths and maybe he was right to, but did Perseus feel at all guilty?

"Your pride is killing my men! You have gifts; use them with every breath!"

"NO!" Perseus shouted; he was up on his feet again, "If I do this, I do it as a man!"

"So we'll just continue to die?" Draco exclaimed.

It was silent; Perseus looked at the other men when hearing Draco's words. Was he thinking too much of himself? Was he letting pride violently overcome him?

"I can't become like them," he finally said.

"A man cannot do this Perseus," the solider said.

"According to who? The gods?" Perseus asked.

Draco was silent himself and looked at his soldiers; who was right and who was wrong? It seemed there was no answer to that question.

"If I had your gifts..." he said, but he did not finish though Perseus saw the rest of the answer in his eyes.

Draco just walked on in the direction of where they had camped; the others followed but suddenly, Perseus stopped. He felt something in his arms; a great sharp pain emerging from where Calibos had bitten him. He gnashed his teeth in pain and looked at his arm; he saw the veins turning black and he found he could not stand any longer when he fell to the ground. The four soldiers crowded around him and a fifth presence arrived, kneeling down beside him.

"What happened?" Athena said.

"We were attacked," Ixas answered.

Athena looked at her brother and her eyes moved from his face to the wound on his arm; she moved her hand to touch it, but suddenly she cried out in pain when she was struck by a mysterious black force that came from the wound itself and she knew what it was.

"What is it?" Draco asked.

"Venom from Hera!" Athena said.

They all knew how dangerous this was; venom of a god or goddess always kills and there is never a cure, at least not on earth. Draco decided there was only way for Perseus to be cured; he knelt down beside him.

"Pray, pray to Zeus for strength," he advised him.

But Perseus chose to be stubborn and proud again.

"No!" He answered.

Draco was tired of the demigod's pride and tried to force him to find a cure for himself; he grabbed him by the face.

"Pray to your damn father," Draco demanded him.

But Perseus was not letting anything overcome his pride, not even being an inch from death.

"No!"

"Stop, stop!" Athena instructed and Draco released Perseus from his grasp, "Bring him back to the campsite, quickly!"

The goddess's orders were obeyed and the soldiers carried Perseus from the meeting point of the forest and the desert back to where they had rested the previous day; a spot was made into a comfortable place for him to rest and he was laid down. His armour was removed and Athena was knelt at his side again.

"Perseus?" she said, but he was unable to answer her; she looked at how he was growing weaker, "The venom is strong."

"Can't you heal him?" Solon asked.

"I have nothing to heal him with; I have no antidote," Athena answered; she then turned to look at the soldiers, "Who did this?"

"We don't know who he was," said Ixas.

"Well what did he look like?" the goddess asked as she looked at them.

"He was a monster; a beast," Solon explained, "He wore the armour of Argos soldiers, but he was not a man."

It was a small description that Solon gave, but it was enough to give Athena the knowledge she needed to have her question answered and she said the answer herself.

"Calibos."

The soldiers heard the name Athena had given their attacker, but it was a name they did not know.

"Who's Calibos?" Eusebios asked.

"The monster formerly known as King Acrisius of Argos; Perseus' grandfather," Athena explained, "When he was struck down and punished by Zeus for his terrible crime on Perseus and his mother Danaë, the punishment was that he was transformed into a hideously deformed monster; he has been living in the caves under Argos ever since. Acrisius became Calibos and now, he serves Hera; she has chosen him as a hired killer to eliminate Perseus and he is serving her for his own benefit because if he kills Perseus, he will have his revenge on Zeus."

As a scorpion's sting hits a target, the soldiers were stunned but not with pain, with horror; horror to know that that the monster they had just faced was a former King of their city and was now serving the goddess who had condemned them to the Kraken. But if Perseus was to die of his stepmother's venom, what would become of them on their quest? Would they succeed without the demigod or would they fail?

Perseus had been poisoned with deadly venom and his beloved Princess was unaware of what had happened; Andromeda was letting time pass by at whatever pace it would and she would not let Hera's prophecy stop her from performing good deeds to her people, especially the ones who were in most need of kindness and charity. She and Peshet had snuck out of the castle in disguise to bring food for the starving women and children, just like she did with Perseus before he left to save her life. Her lover may not have been with her, but Andromeda was happy to give some happiness and help to others less fortunate than herself; she knelt down in front of the children and handed them all some bread. The children were overjoyed by her kindness and her charity and she smiled at their happiness and gratitude to her kind heart. Peshet carried out the same kind act also, but it was Andromeda who bore the kindest heart out of the pair; Peshet did not wish for her mistress and friend to be unhappy or carry out any deeds alone and she was the only companion Andromeda had during Perseus' absence. But suddenly, the charity from the Princess was interrupted when something she found disturbing caught her eye; members of the Cult of Hera were passing by and her curiosity to see what they were up to rose within her, so she had to follow them despite Peshet's protest. She followed them to a look-out outside of the palace that over looked the sea with a great fire burning in the centre; the Cult was building something that was clearly where would they were planning to present the Kraken with Andromeda and a speech was being made by Prokopion, the leader of the Cult who Perseus had seen when he was brought back to Argos by the soldiers who had found him.

"We must return our hearts to Hera; it is the only way," Prokopion declared to the other members; they were all unaware that Andromeda was there in disguise listening to what he had to say, "Brothers and sisters come to me; come! I have the way out of our misery; Hera has asked for the Princess, sacrifice one for the life of the city! Why do they remain silent while we suffer? Why do they guard the woman whose death will save us? Is she better than anyone of you? We have shown worship for Zeus in Argos, but it is Hera who now offers us salvation! We must pray to the one who showed us our sin and who offers us redemption through blood!"

Prokopion was clearly one of madness and he showed his desperation to serve Hera with the blood of an innocent for the benefit of others when he put his own forearm into the flames of the fire and let it burn to the frightful horror of the ones in his presence. Once his arm was burned enough, he sharply raised it into the air with a cheer of triumph and the crowd joined in. Andromeda was frightened, but she still felt that if she had to die for the sake of others then it had to be done. But what of Perseus? He had set out on a perilous quest to save her and would it do any good? Whatever would be the outcome, Peshet was willing to help protect the Princess and she could not bear for her to listen to the Cult anymore, so she led her away. What was the outcome to be? How would Perseus triumph in his quest? How could anyone destroy the Kraken?

Andromeda's fear of people dying for her had already happened, for Draco had several of his men to lie to rest; along with Ixas, he had his dead soldiers laid out on the sands of the desert and their bodies covered in stones and rocks. Ixas lay silver coins on the closed eyes of each of the men, so they would be brought to the Underworld where Hades would judge them and decide where to put them.

"A bribe for the ferryman," Draco said as Ixas laid down the coins.

The dead soldiers had received a funeral pyre, but what of Perseus? The venom had grown stronger and had made him ill; his goddess sister was doing everything she could, but it was not enough.

"You are burning; here drink this," she said as she gave him water to drink.

It was a relief to taste the cool refreshing liquid, but was still not enough; Athena knew what she had to do to help her brother and she carried out what was needed as she looked up to the sky.

"Father, hear me; your son needs you to help him," she prayed to Zeus.

Her prayer was sent through the clouds of the ears of the god himself and he could hear every word she was saying as clear as the light of the Helios.

"He has been poisoned by Hera's venom; if you do not help him, he could die," Athena's voice spoke to him.

Zeus felt a great disturbance when he heard his daughter's prayer; a disturbance that took over him and his brothers could see it in his face.

"Brother, what is it?" Poseidon asked.

"My son, Perseus; he is dying of Hera's venom," Zeus replied.

"Hera's venom? How?" Poseidon demanded.

"I do not know; I am hearing a prayer from Athena," Zeus explained.

"Let me go to him brother; Hestia, Demeter and I can help him before it's too late," said Hades.

Zeus looked at him with wonder at the words he had just spoken.

"How?" he asked.

"We have the power to make an antidote for him; with our powers combined, we can make the perfect cure to Hera's venom," Hestia explained.

Zeus could see the seriousness in each of their eyes; he knew their suggestion was not false and there was no other option if his son was to be saved. He looked at each of them and gave them a nod; they knew right away what this meant.

"Come sisters," said Hades, "we must hurry!"

The brother and sisters left the great throne room and made their way to where they had to make their cure. Once they had reached their destination, each of them gave some of their own powers to the antidote as their own powers combined together were enough to overcome their Queen's and sister's. Finally it was complete; the antidote containing Hades' energy of the soul, Hestia's fire and Demeter's life from the earth, this was what would save Perseus' life. Perseus was still lying weak and ill, thinking nothing would cure him and he would fail Andromeda and his mother; Athena stayed his side hoping that Zeus had heard her prayer. Suddenly, a dark force of light and fire appeared and the other soldiers rushed to investigate; they saw the strange force and had their weapons at the ready, but Athena showed no fear and the force took up a human size before revealing a man dressed in shining black armour standing before Perseus and Athena.

"Hades," the goddess said as a greeting.

Hades looked at his nephew and then turned his eyes to the soldiers for only a moment; they dared not to go any closer. Once his eyes met Perseus again, he walked towards him.

"How is he?" he asked as he drew closer.

"The venom is taking over quickly," his niece explained as he knelt down beside her; he touched Perseus' sweating head.

"I have come to help him for I have an antidote that will cure him; it was made by myself and my two sisters," he explained.

Athena felt only delight and joy; her prayer had been heard and a solution had come. She watched as Hades revealed a vial and opened it, bringing it close to Perseus.

"Drink this Perseus, quickly!" Hades instructed him.

Perseus was too weak to fight or to resist, nor did he realise what was happening around him; all he heard was a voice telling him to drink from the vial he could barely see and he decided to meet their demands. Hades pressed the vial against Perseus' lips and Perseus let the liquid inside enter his mouth and pour down his throat; it felt disturbingly hot and painful, as if he was being stabbed repeatedly on the inside, but he could not fight against it. The antidote was completely drank and suddenly, he felt a sharp pain coming from his wound just like before; there was a glow of fire coming from his own skin and it travelled through his veins. Hestia's fire was destroying Hera's venom and once it was finished, the wound began to heal and the flesh was regenerating; it was the life from the earth given by Demeter and Perseus suddenly felt a great deal of energy flowing through him. That was the energy of the soul from Hades; the antidote had done its duty.

"It has worked!" Athena gasped.

Draco and the others were in utter amazement, but not as much as Perseus; he was in shock at having been just cured and saved by a god. He wanted to stand up, but Hades grasped his shoulder and made him stay where he was, for he had something to express to his nephew.

"Do not fear me nephew, I mean you no harm," the god said, "but listen here; Hera is clearly out of her mind with vengeance and I am certain that she will stop at nothing until you and your Princess are dead and the Kraken destroys Argos and the world. Listen to the guidance of your sister for if you truly wish to return to Argos in one piece with what you need to kill Hera's pet, then you must acknowledge Athena's wisdom, for she is never wrong. You are fighting against one god, but not all of us; look inside yourself Perseus and you will find what you need to defeat your stepmother before she sheds more mortals' blood."

He had said what he needed to and with that, he let go of Perseus and made his way to his feet; he turned to face his niece.

"Athena," he said with a nod and she responded with one herself.

"Thank you Hades," she said.

"Zeus will be pleased to know that his son is well again and still strong enough to carry on," Hades declared; he turned back to look at Perseus, "remember Perseus, the god you have in you is not your enemy. You are fighting a god, but not the god in you or the god that is your father or the goddess who is guiding you. While one god is trying to kill you, the others have great faith in you, including your father; use the god in you wisely or we are all done for."

Hades had done what had come to do and so, he took up the form of the dark light and fire and disappeared; he had taken his leave. Athena looked at the brother and was feeling joy that he was cured but at the same time, frustration for she knew he was still denying what he really was. She looked at him and saw that he could not speak, for in his eyes, the unexpected had happened and this gave her an opportunity, for she was frustrated with his foolish pride.

"You see Perseus; there are other gods that care about you as well as me and Hades has just become another example," she said with a firmer tone than ever before, "I have acknowledged you as my brother and father has learned to care for you again like he did before. By offering you that sword, he does not want any harm to come to you. Are you still so certain that we are cursed, heartless beings? Each of us has our own natures, just like man, so your kind and my kind are not so different. Men have pride as much as we do; the source of my own pride is that I am father's most favoured daughter, for that is something that I am proud to acknowledge, and I do not doubt that you could grow to become his most favoured son if you will just let go of your pride! You saw what pride did to Cassiopeia and the same will happen to Andromeda if you do not stop this battle with the god inside of you! I have been nothing but a caring sister to you Perseus; Zeus cares, even Hades cares and they want you to succeed as well as I do, but you still wish to repay my guidance and their care with defiance and why? You have to realise that it is neither us nor father that you are angry with because you are not really angry at all. For now you must all rest and I will provide you with a way to reach the witches quicker, for the eclipse is drawing near."

Perseus only watched as his sister turned into the mist of gold again and disappeared; he had nothing to say about what had happened because everything was proving how wrong he was. Again and again, everyone around him was begging him to let go of his pride and Athena was right; pride had been Cassiopeia's downfall and he could not make the same mistake as her, but he knew he wouldn't, he was sure of it. But Athena had been proving him wrong about his views on the gods more and more at every minute and Draco was telling him his pride had killed the soldiers that were now dead. He had just been saved by a god and a goddess had been guiding him, so maybe letting go of his pride was the next task for him to do on this quest and in this case, the most important.


	14. Chapter 13: Brothers

**Hi everybody! I'm back and finally with the next chapter!**

**First of all, I would just like to stay that I am so sorry for the delay in updating; I've just been really busy with uni.**

**And second of all, I have made changes to the story so, you might want to reread the whole thing again. They're not big changes mind you, just minor so, it's nothing to worry about.**

**So anyway, I hope you all enjoy this new chapter and I will get to work on the next one asap.**

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The night had passed with Selene's reign and now a new day was arriving as Eos awoke and heralded Helios for his own next reign; he rose slowly into the sky and daylight was upon the earth below. He shone his beams on the world below him and it was Perseus who he awoke first out of all those lying asleep in the forest; sleep had passed him and he could resume it. The words and actions of Athena and Hades had disturbed his dreams and were still echoing in his mind; they would not leave him alone for they wanted to be sure that he had accepted the message. His mind was not resting and he could not stay where he was, so he chose to go for a walk; dressing himself in his armour, he climbed onto his feet and walked away from the campsite. He walked through the trees into a part he knew and was soon standing in the resting area of the winged horses, though the horses were not there. But this was how he wanted it to be, for he wanted silence and peace then suddenly, a voice spoke out to him, but it was a voice he did not recognise.

"Our father is rather upset."

He turned around and saw a dashingly handsome young man with raven black hair wearing magnificent armour of shining gold standing before him; Perseus knew he was a god, but which one?

"Who are you?" he asked.

Like Athena when she had first presented herself to him, this god was proud to answer Perseus' question.

"I am Apollo, the god of the sun; son of Zeus and Leto and twin brother of Artemis, the goddess of the moon."

First his stepmother, then his sister, then his uncle and now his brother; Perseus did not feel fearful for by now, he was used to gods appearing, not that it was something he wanted but he could not stop it. They were a part of him and although he would continuously defy that fact, it did not change anything and he only had one question for the god standing before him.

"And what is it you want?"

"You're running out of time," Apollo said as he walked towards Perseus, "and I am anxious in assisting Athena to help you."

Perseus heard what he said, but decided he'd had enough and turned around to walk away.

"Just leave me alone," he said with some angst in his voice.

But Apollo was not one to be easily stopped and chose to carry on what he had come to do.

"Do you know how it feels to live as a god Perseus? It's like falling in love every second of the day," he proudly explained, "You have a god inside you, but you fight it with every breath; you're drowning in your own spite and for what?"

"I'm tired of everybody telling me what I can and cannot do," Perseus spat out with force almost at once.

Apollo did not reply; instead, he carried a vulnerable look on his face and Perseus felt he could read what it said.

"You're afraid."

"Careful how you speak to me," Apollo replied in defence, "only one of us is mortal."

"Why do you want to help me?" Perseus asked.

"Because you're fighting the part of you that can help me, which is all I really care about," the god confessed, "Throw away your pride Perseus or you won't last another day; listen to our sister's words of wisdom, for her reasons for helping you are not the same as mine."

Perseus was holding a sarcastic look on his face and took a small step forward towards the god.

"I'd rather die in the mud with those men than stand alongside of you."

His remark only made Apollo reply with a chuckle; Perseus gave his own.

"We share our father's arrogance," Apollo gladly stated, "clearly, we are brothers. I wish you much success in completing your quest and saving us all from destruction, though you are to have another god assisting you now."

The demigod could not find the right words to say in reply; first he had a father, who was a god, then a sister who was a goddess, an uncle who was a god and now, a brother. Everything was happening so quickly, but he had no time to waste; as Apollo said, he was running out of time before the day would come when the Kraken would be unleashed. Finally moving from the spot, he headed back to the campsite and was approaching the others when he heard something. The sound of horses and wheels could be heard out on the sand and they all went to investigate; when they arrived, their eyes widened. There on the sand were Athena and Apollo and behind them were two magnificent chariots and two pairs of horses; Pegasus then flew down and joined them and the silence was broken by Apollo.

"I did say I was anxious to assist our sister," he proudly said, "time is running out, so you need all the help you can get if you are to reach the witches in time."

Before Perseus could even say a word, Athena stopped him.

"If you are going to attempt to argue with us Perseus, there is no point because you have no choice. Our brother is right; if you are to reach the witches, than you must accept our offer. The soldiers can ride with us in our chariots and you will ride Pegasus; what do you say?"

There was no point in arguing, even Perseus could see that; this was the only solution and if he was to succeed, he had to accept the gods' help. He was silent for a moment or two and then, he took a few small steps towards them.

"When do we set off?" he asked.

And set off they did in no time flat; everyone quickly prepared themselves for their journey onwards – Solon and Draco were to ride with Athena, Ixas and Eusebios with Apollo and Perseus was to ride Pegasus.

"Are you can keep up?" Perseus asked sarcastically when mounted on Pegasus.

"The chariot of a god is as fast as Pegasus," Athena replied.

"Have either of you ever rode in a god's chariot before," Apollo asked Ixas and Eusebios with a smirk once they were ready to go.

"Never," said Eusebios.

"Then you might want to hold on tight," Apollo replied with a sarcastic manner.

And he was right; the chariots soon took off and Pegasus took to the skies. Indeed, the chariots were fast and they kept up with Pegasus without question. Off they rode as fast as the wind through the deserts to the mountains and nothing was to stop them.


End file.
